The Game Awards and Facebook Gaming are on the lookout for people with unique stories surrounding games. If you're a streamer, a developer, or even just a casual player, if you have a story you want to share, now's your chance! Keep reading to find out how you can submit your stories.
The Game Awards and Facebook Gaming are looking for inspiring stories of people using the power of games to build community. The duo are opening up submissions for Global Gaming Citizens, and they want to hear about gamers, game developers, or anyone from anywhere in the world with a unique story of using games to bring about positive change.
The Game Awards and Facebook Gaming have teamed up with Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, the Sundance-Award winning directors of Indie Game: the Movie, to help tell these stories later this year as part of The Game Awards, taking place on Thursday,...
The Game Awards and Facebook Gaming are looking for inspiring stories of people using the power of games to build community. The duo are opening up submissions for Global Gaming Citizens, and they want to hear about gamers, game developers, or anyone from anywhere in the world with a unique story of using games to bring about positive change.
The Game Awards and Facebook Gaming have teamed up with Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, the Sundance-Award winning directors of Indie Game: the Movie, to help tell these stories later this year as part of The Game Awards, taking place on Thursday,...
- 9/13/2018
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Amber Hall)
- Cinelinx
Indie Game: The Movie
Directed by: James Swirsky, Lisanne Pajot
Written by: James Swirsky, Lisanne Pajot
Starring: Edmund McMillen, Tommy Refenes, Phil Fish, Jonathan Blow
USA, 2012
With the documentary rooted as independent as its subjects, Indie Game: The Movie started as a Kickstarter project and went all the way to Sundance in 2012, with aspirations gripping the palms of Swirsky and Pajot’s hands. The film primarily follows two indie game projects, Super Meat Boy and Fez, as their creators struggle through video game development, from their highest highs to their lowest lows. In between their stories, time with Jonathan Blow of Braid is spent to emphasize how life after success isn’t always what its cracked up to be. Blow talks about being confused for months after Braid came out, because many people simply took the game for face value without appreciating the plot nuances articulated in painstaking detail by...
Directed by: James Swirsky, Lisanne Pajot
Written by: James Swirsky, Lisanne Pajot
Starring: Edmund McMillen, Tommy Refenes, Phil Fish, Jonathan Blow
USA, 2012
With the documentary rooted as independent as its subjects, Indie Game: The Movie started as a Kickstarter project and went all the way to Sundance in 2012, with aspirations gripping the palms of Swirsky and Pajot’s hands. The film primarily follows two indie game projects, Super Meat Boy and Fez, as their creators struggle through video game development, from their highest highs to their lowest lows. In between their stories, time with Jonathan Blow of Braid is spent to emphasize how life after success isn’t always what its cracked up to be. Blow talks about being confused for months after Braid came out, because many people simply took the game for face value without appreciating the plot nuances articulated in painstaking detail by...
- 2/1/2015
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, directors of Indie Game: The Movie, are not only skilled filmmakers but also very savvy businesspeople. They chose to self-distribute their film rather than sell themselves short by giving it away to a distributor, and did a brilliant job of connecting with their audience and maximizing the potential of their product. (You can read their evolved thinking on self-distribution in a Filmmaker article they penned earlier this year.) Now the pair say they have reached “the end of a life-changing, 3-year odyssey” of Indie Game with the just-announced the release of a Special Edition, which …...
- 7/24/2013
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sorry Oscars. But after the Indie Spirit Awards, the number two spot in terms of Award Season importance are the Cinema Eye Honors. Seems like it was only yesterday when Aj Schnack & Thom Powers teamed up for one basic, logical concept: an event that would reward yearly output of documentary film in a rightfully sound manner. With the wind in their sails, the 6th annual edition was held last night and deservingly so, adding to its double wins at the Idfa and Sundance, it is 5 Broken Cameras that took the top honors for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking. Co-directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi – political activism via you guessed it, five video cameras. The film was released via Kino Lorber.
The night’s only double winner, could be regarded as the silver medal doc film of the year: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Detropia grabbed the Outstanding...
The night’s only double winner, could be regarded as the silver medal doc film of the year: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Detropia grabbed the Outstanding...
- 1/10/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
2012′s best documentaries understand people. It’s as simple as that. They include beautiful character portraits, from group pictures like Indie Game: The Movie and El Gusto to individual pieces like Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Marley. Even the most issue-oriented films achieved their strength through keeping things personal, building powerful political and social arguments through the lives of their subjects. They chronicle the lives of victims who are also heroes, filmmakers who are also subjects, and unique characters who end up representing us all. 12. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God We all think we know plenty about the crisis of abuse in the Catholic Church. It’s been in the news for years now, ever more so as the scandal moves from the United States to Europe. Yet it isn’t easy to grasp the full breadth of the story. Alex Gibney brings a great deal of valuable context to the issue in...
- 12/30/2012
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
"The Imposter" and "Searching for Sugar Man" each received 5 nods from the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. 31 features and 5 shorts will vie for the best of the best in documentary filmmaking. Check out the full list of nominees below including the Audience Award and Heterodox Award.
Winners of the 6th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced on January 9, 2013 as Cinema Eye returns for a third year to New York City.s Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
5 Broken Cameras
Directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Produced by Christine Camdessus, Serge Gordey, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Detropia
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Produced by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady and Craig Atkinson
The Imposter
Directed by Bart Layton
Produced by Dimitri Doganis
Marina Abramović The Artist is Present
Directed by Matthew Akers
Produced by Jeff Dupre and Maro Chermayeff...
Winners of the 6th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced on January 9, 2013 as Cinema Eye returns for a third year to New York City.s Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
5 Broken Cameras
Directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Produced by Christine Camdessus, Serge Gordey, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Detropia
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Produced by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady and Craig Atkinson
The Imposter
Directed by Bart Layton
Produced by Dimitri Doganis
Marina Abramović The Artist is Present
Directed by Matthew Akers
Produced by Jeff Dupre and Maro Chermayeff...
- 12/11/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
★★★★☆ Jonathan Blow, developer of the hugely popular Braid, once said: "Let me take my deepest flaws and vulnerabilities, put them in the game, and see what happens." Chronicling the figures at the forefront of the 'indie game' revolution, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky's Indie Game: The Movie (2012) focuses upon the personalities rather than their global product. Indie games are those produced outside of the mainstream studio system, away from the industry giants. Rather than small, streamlined creative firms, the people behind these ventures are often just two-man programming teams, devoting their lives to developing their games.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 11/29/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
After taking their film "Indie Game: The Movie" to Sundance and SXSW, directors/producers Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky ventured into self-distribution territory. An increasingly popular question for filmmakers who first find support through crowd-funding ("Indie Game" used Kickstarter), is how to continue the momentum once you have the film? This "Indie Game" series may hold some answers. The filmmakers have posted a blog series about "Indie Game"'s unique distribution model. In the series they look at how they used technology to make the film as well as how they released the film themselves through the U.S. and Canada. It involved a cross country roadshow and became the first film on video game platform Stream as well as the first film to have direct downloads from their website via Vhx. The key question in their series is whether this form of distribution, modeled after comedian Louis Ck's direct-to-audience sales,...
- 11/21/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
Jamie Wilkinson started the website Knowyourmeme.com, which encourages people to educate themselves on the viral sensations creeping across the Internet. His frequent collaborator Casey Pugh has developed for Vimeo and boxee. The two have worked together on the fanboy sensation "Star Wars Uncut," which won a Creative Arts Emmy. For a year now, the two have been hard at work on their new company Vhx, which creates a platform for filmmakers to sell their film to stream and/or download through the film's own website. Vhx houses its own design and development team, hosts the video on its servers, and helps develop a strategy to maximize online audiences for films. So far, Vhx has done the digital release for Aziz Ansari's stand-up special "Dangerously Delicious" and James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot's Sundance award-winner "Indie Game: The Movie." nlimited streaming and downloads are available on the film's respective.
- 9/18/2012
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
When most people think of video game movies, they think of Super Mario Bros. They think of the sacrilege committed time and time again by Uwe Boll, such as Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead. In terms of narrative film, directors have unerringly failed when trying to convey the video game experience. Oddly enough, it seems to be documentarians, creating the likes of The King of Kong and this, Indie Game: The Movie, who best prod the heart and soul of the oft-maligned medium and capture what it really means to people.
If James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot’s doc is anything, it is passionate. The pair follow the skeleton-crew developers of three independent video games – Braid’s Jonathan Blow, Super Meat Boy’s Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, and Fez’s Phil Fish – representing the apparent “past, present and future” of indie gaming (Braid is long-released,...
When most people think of video game movies, they think of Super Mario Bros. They think of the sacrilege committed time and time again by Uwe Boll, such as Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead. In terms of narrative film, directors have unerringly failed when trying to convey the video game experience. Oddly enough, it seems to be documentarians, creating the likes of The King of Kong and this, Indie Game: The Movie, who best prod the heart and soul of the oft-maligned medium and capture what it really means to people.
If James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot’s doc is anything, it is passionate. The pair follow the skeleton-crew developers of three independent video games – Braid’s Jonathan Blow, Super Meat Boy’s Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, and Fez’s Phil Fish – representing the apparent “past, present and future” of indie gaming (Braid is long-released,...
- 6/19/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Indie Game: The Movie
Written and directed by Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky
I was born into the gaming generation; games have been around me my whole life and gave me the dream to be a developer, something that I did in fact manage to do, though not making games (yet). Indie Game: The Movie turned out to be not only a documentary about making games, but about people I could relate to, and understand when they put their lives into a dream and become obsessed with reaching that goal of making something they always wanted to do.
Indie Game: The Movie takes three different viewpoints by looking at three games and their makers. There is Super Meat Boy, a game in development and very near completion. The documentary looks at how it affects the developers behind it and shapes their whole lives. Then there is Fez, this game at the...
Written and directed by Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky
I was born into the gaming generation; games have been around me my whole life and gave me the dream to be a developer, something that I did in fact manage to do, though not making games (yet). Indie Game: The Movie turned out to be not only a documentary about making games, but about people I could relate to, and understand when they put their lives into a dream and become obsessed with reaching that goal of making something they always wanted to do.
Indie Game: The Movie takes three different viewpoints by looking at three games and their makers. There is Super Meat Boy, a game in development and very near completion. The documentary looks at how it affects the developers behind it and shapes their whole lives. Then there is Fez, this game at the...
- 6/14/2012
- by Pzomb
- Nerdly
Minding the time in a nondescript cafe a few minutes away from the IFC Center, "Indie Game: The Movie” co-directors Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky and composer/indie rocker Jim Guthrie share an easygoing parlance that showcases the spirit of effective collaboration. Of course, one of the notable ways to spot excellent craftsmanship is seeing something difficult made to look easy. “Indie Game: The Movie” manages that trick, and we fell in love with the film at Sundance, calling it “the most mature look at video games yet, and a fine documentary in its own right,” that served “as a powerful document for why games deserve consideration as a legitimate artform.” High praise for a documentary that was but a seed on Kickstarter almost two years ago.
“What we thought would take a year, probably six months,” says Swirsky, adding "Basically our thinking as, we own all the equipment, we...
“What we thought would take a year, probably six months,” says Swirsky, adding "Basically our thinking as, we own all the equipment, we...
- 6/12/2012
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- The Playlist
By Jeffrey Matulef
Award-winning documentary Indie Game: The Movie will be available to the public via digital distribution June 12, 2012 on iTunes, Steam and at IndieGameTheMovie.com, where you can also pre-order the Blu-ray and DVD. The movie will be $9.99, with 10% off ($8.99) for pre-orders on Steam.
Directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, Indie Game: The Movie follows the exploits of Fez creator Phil Fish, Team Meat's Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, and Braid creator Johnathan Blow.
Filmed over the course of the last two years, the film covers the process leading up to and following Super Meat Boy's release, as well as Fish's legal and emotional struggles to complete Fez, a game he'd been working on for five years.
Having seen the film last month I can say that it's a fantastic piece of cinema that focuses on the human element behind games. While Indie Game: The Movie is about game creators,...
Award-winning documentary Indie Game: The Movie will be available to the public via digital distribution June 12, 2012 on iTunes, Steam and at IndieGameTheMovie.com, where you can also pre-order the Blu-ray and DVD. The movie will be $9.99, with 10% off ($8.99) for pre-orders on Steam.
Directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, Indie Game: The Movie follows the exploits of Fez creator Phil Fish, Team Meat's Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, and Braid creator Johnathan Blow.
Filmed over the course of the last two years, the film covers the process leading up to and following Super Meat Boy's release, as well as Fish's legal and emotional struggles to complete Fez, a game he'd been working on for five years.
Having seen the film last month I can say that it's a fantastic piece of cinema that focuses on the human element behind games. While Indie Game: The Movie is about game creators,...
- 5/25/2012
- by MTV Video Games
- MTV Multiplayer
I used to want to design games when I was a kid. Until I realized you needed, you know, actual talent. Oh well. Now I just play them. Frankly, I’m probably part of the problem when it comes to supporting independently created/financed games like the ones being featured in Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky’s new documentary “Indie Game: The Movie”, which chronicles the path of independent game developers as they try to make it in a world dominated by the likes of “Call of Duty”, “Halo”, and games designed by thousands of people instead of, well, just one guy in his apartment. Check out a trailer for “Indie Game: The Movie”. You don’t have to be a gamer (casual or otherwise) to find it fascinating, but it probably helps. With the twenty-first century comes a new breed of struggling independent artist: the indie game designer. Refusing to toil for major developers,...
- 5/24/2012
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
The following article about Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky’s documentary Indie Game was published during the Sundance Film Festival. The film opens today in Los Angeles, New York (at the IFC Center), San Francisco and Phoenix. For a complete list of venues and upcoming screenings, check out the website.
Independent film, depending on how you define it, has had many births. But for the purposes of this blog post, let’s consider the one in the 1980s, just before the launch of this magazine. She’s Gotta Have It, Parting Glances, Poison, True Love — these were narrative features made by lone filmmakers with a mixture of private money and, sometimes, foreign TV deals, and they were released into the marketplace after being acquired by independent distributors who catered to arthouse audiences. More films followed — Clerks, El Mariachi, The Blair Witch Project — and the idea that one could possibly be...
Independent film, depending on how you define it, has had many births. But for the purposes of this blog post, let’s consider the one in the 1980s, just before the launch of this magazine. She’s Gotta Have It, Parting Glances, Poison, True Love — these were narrative features made by lone filmmakers with a mixture of private money and, sometimes, foreign TV deals, and they were released into the marketplace after being acquired by independent distributors who catered to arthouse audiences. More films followed — Clerks, El Mariachi, The Blair Witch Project — and the idea that one could possibly be...
- 5/15/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Indie Game: The Movie Directed by: Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky Starring: Phil Fish, Edmund McMillen, Jonathan Blow, Tommy Refenes From Hearts of Darkness to Lost in La Mancha to American Movie, we've seen some great behind-the-scenes documentaries about filmmaking over the years, some capturing the glory of success and others the agony of failure. The production of a feature film almost always makes for a compelling story because we get to watch creative professionals perform in a team environment while under pressure. And yet, despite the overabundance of these kinds of documentaries, up until now there have been very few documentaries covering the behind-the-scenes process of video game development. What gives? Part of the problem is that video games are giant team efforts where pretty much all of the talented people involved are unknown to the general public. However, the bigger complication is the fact that most major video...
- 5/14/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
There is a lot of passion, soul baring, and white-knuckle anxiety on display in Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky's documentary on the world of independent games and their micro-sized design teams. Instead of hundreds of people working on all aspects of a top tier title, in the two case-studies delved into in Indie Game: The Movie the entire team is two people. A mere duo, responsible for doing every aspect of the game, including programming, art design, level construction and managing the business side. Eating well (or shaving) does not factor high on the priority scale. Financially these guys are operating with little safety network other than generously patient parents or girlfriends. Even if the game is actually finished in a relatively bug-free state to allow for release (challenge enough!) it...
- 5/5/2012
- Screen Anarchy
The main reason we enjoy doing what we do here on Tfs is to share our love for great independent films that may not be on your radar. It’s why we focus our efforts on film festivals and it brings no greater joy to recommend these films once they come out in theaters. While other summer countdowns focus on all the films you’ve been hearing about non-stop for the last year, we’ve got a comprehensive list of the worthwhile independent, limited release features to take note of.
While a few, namely one from Focus Features and another from The Weinstein Company are set to go wide initially, they won’t be as hitting as many multiplexes as The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers, therefore making for a worthy mention. Check out the list below, which also includes what you may want to skip over blockbuster-wise at the theaters that same weekend,...
While a few, namely one from Focus Features and another from The Weinstein Company are set to go wide initially, they won’t be as hitting as many multiplexes as The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers, therefore making for a worthy mention. Check out the list below, which also includes what you may want to skip over blockbuster-wise at the theaters that same weekend,...
- 5/3/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Perhaps the most contentious summer blockbuster season yet is now upon us, but May mostly brings excellent limited releases to the table. Aside from the picks below, some of which are on VOD already, this month also officially kicks off our first look at the most promising films of the year, as Cannes rolls our their red carpet. Stay tuned for our coverage and check out our ten films to see this month below.
Matinees: Death of a Superhero (5/4), First Position (5/4), Dark Shadows (5/11), Where Do We Go Now? (5/11), Hysteria (5/18), Polisse (5/18), Five Broken Cameras (5/30)
10. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (John Madden; May 4th)
Synopsis: British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: This month The Avengers may round up Marvel’s top superheroes,...
Matinees: Death of a Superhero (5/4), First Position (5/4), Dark Shadows (5/11), Where Do We Go Now? (5/11), Hysteria (5/18), Polisse (5/18), Five Broken Cameras (5/30)
10. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (John Madden; May 4th)
Synopsis: British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: This month The Avengers may round up Marvel’s top superheroes,...
- 5/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Set for release this winter, the documentary film Us and the Game Industry promises to explore the motivations of indie developers like thatgamecompany. Filmmaker Stephanie Beth tells us what she learned from a new era of rebellious entertainment
Something important is happening with games at the moment. It has nothing to do with the blockbusting mainstream success of Modern Warfare 3. It isn't about the increasing convergence of Hollywood movies and Triple Aaa interactive entertainment. It is about a quiet revolution in the indie sector, where small studios and even lone developers create offbeat subjective titles rather than noisy mega-bucks shoot-'em-ups.
Because, just as in movies, it is the game design outliers who are producing the most interesting work, and who speak about the future of the medium. Last week saw the release of Journey, a beautiful, elusive adventure game by the small La studio thatgamecompany. Set on a dying desert world,...
Something important is happening with games at the moment. It has nothing to do with the blockbusting mainstream success of Modern Warfare 3. It isn't about the increasing convergence of Hollywood movies and Triple Aaa interactive entertainment. It is about a quiet revolution in the indie sector, where small studios and even lone developers create offbeat subjective titles rather than noisy mega-bucks shoot-'em-ups.
Because, just as in movies, it is the game design outliers who are producing the most interesting work, and who speak about the future of the medium. Last week saw the release of Journey, a beautiful, elusive adventure game by the small La studio thatgamecompany. Set on a dying desert world,...
- 3/13/2012
- by Keith Stuart
- The Guardian - Film News
Photo by immlass
Year in, year out, the true lone star of SXSW is the city of Austin itself, and its flagship weekly, the Chronicle, has just opened its biggest-ever microsite dedicated to the three-pronged festival (Interactive, Film, Music). SXSW Film opens tomorrow and runs through March 17, perfectly timed for sightings of the first bluebonnets springing up alongside I-35. I'll be posting notes and impressions from the first week of the festival, but for now, here's a quick skim of the previews.
In the Chronicle, Marc Savlov talks with Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon about their Opening Night headliner, The Cabin in the Woods, previews Patrick Forbes's Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies and Brian Knappenberger's We Are Legion: The Rise of the Hacktivists and talks with Gareth Evans about The Raid: Redemption.
Leah Churner meets Danielle McCarthy, producer of Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, "a new documentary about...
Year in, year out, the true lone star of SXSW is the city of Austin itself, and its flagship weekly, the Chronicle, has just opened its biggest-ever microsite dedicated to the three-pronged festival (Interactive, Film, Music). SXSW Film opens tomorrow and runs through March 17, perfectly timed for sightings of the first bluebonnets springing up alongside I-35. I'll be posting notes and impressions from the first week of the festival, but for now, here's a quick skim of the previews.
In the Chronicle, Marc Savlov talks with Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon about their Opening Night headliner, The Cabin in the Woods, previews Patrick Forbes's Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies and Brian Knappenberger's We Are Legion: The Rise of the Hacktivists and talks with Gareth Evans about The Raid: Redemption.
Leah Churner meets Danielle McCarthy, producer of Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, "a new documentary about...
- 3/9/2012
- MUBI
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
One of the films that jumped out early on at the festival was Indie Game: The Movie, a Kickstarter-funded documentary about independent video game developers. The struggle of these passionate young creative minds to imbue their games with real meaning and symbolism while balancing out the entertainment factor and gameplay is reminiscent of the struggle off all independent artists.
I was lucky enough to sit down with the dynamic duo, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, responsible for bringing the story of these developers with creative filmmaking technique. They offer up some good advice for anyone planning to crowd fund, discuss the possibility of the movie becoming an HBO and how independent games are closer to in relation to independent film than you may have thought. Check out the interview below and my review here.
The Film Stage: Where did the idea to make a documentary about indie game developers come about?...
I was lucky enough to sit down with the dynamic duo, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, responsible for bringing the story of these developers with creative filmmaking technique. They offer up some good advice for anyone planning to crowd fund, discuss the possibility of the movie becoming an HBO and how independent games are closer to in relation to independent film than you may have thought. Check out the interview below and my review here.
The Film Stage: Where did the idea to make a documentary about indie game developers come about?...
- 1/30/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Surrogate and The House I Live In among challenging award-winners at 2012 festival
A Louisiana-set drama about a father and his daughter threatened by the impact of global warming, the autobiographical tale of a man's quest to lose his virginity despite living out much of his life in an iron lung and a polemical documentary targeting America's war on drugs were among the top prize-winners as the Sundance film festival reached its denouement at the weekend.
Beasts of the Southern Wild, the story of a six-year-old girl living with her dad in the flood-threatened basins near the Mississippi delta, won both the jury prize for best Us drama and a cinematography prize. Benh Zeitlin's film features a cast of non-actors and has been praised by the Guardian's Damon Wise as "the first significant eco-threat movie to be seen through the eyes of the generation...
A Louisiana-set drama about a father and his daughter threatened by the impact of global warming, the autobiographical tale of a man's quest to lose his virginity despite living out much of his life in an iron lung and a polemical documentary targeting America's war on drugs were among the top prize-winners as the Sundance film festival reached its denouement at the weekend.
Beasts of the Southern Wild, the story of a six-year-old girl living with her dad in the flood-threatened basins near the Mississippi delta, won both the jury prize for best Us drama and a cinematography prize. Benh Zeitlin's film features a cast of non-actors and has been praised by the Guardian's Damon Wise as "the first significant eco-threat movie to be seen through the eyes of the generation...
- 1/30/2012
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Parker Posey was all set to host last night's awards ceremony, but fell ill — and so, as live-bloggers Eric Hynes and Claiborne Smith report, Sundance festival director John Cooper reluctantly took the helm, choking up a bit right at the top as he drove himself through a remembrance of Bingham Ray. Rebounding, he brought on director and actress Katie Aselton as co-host and it was on to the awards. You can actually watch all this here (select "2012 Sundance Film Festival"). An overview of what the critics are saying about the winners:
Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. The House I Live In, "a lucid, long-view unpacking of the War on Drugs from Eugene Jarecki, who ably dissected the lead-up to the Iraq War in Why We Fight." The Boston Globe's Ty Burr: "The movie marshals a wide selection of talking heads, from Oklahoma prison guards and Reagan-era appointees to street dealers and Jarecki's own nanny,...
Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. The House I Live In, "a lucid, long-view unpacking of the War on Drugs from Eugene Jarecki, who ably dissected the lead-up to the Iraq War in Why We Fight." The Boston Globe's Ty Burr: "The movie marshals a wide selection of talking heads, from Oklahoma prison guards and Reagan-era appointees to street dealers and Jarecki's own nanny,...
- 1/30/2012
- MUBI
Sundance is wrapping up once again this year and as with every year, quite a few films are generating quite the buzz. Among them is The House I Live In, The Law in These Parts and Violeta Went to Heaven who all earned Jury Prizes. The Sundance awards (while I rarely agree with the choices) are always interesting to follow each year, since the winners are sometimes entirely unexpected. This year there’s no surprise that the most talked about film – Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, took home the top prize.
Here is the full list of winners from the press release, including the five Audience Award winners.
2012 Sundance Film Festival Jury Awards:
The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Beasts of the Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under,...
Here is the full list of winners from the press release, including the five Audience Award winners.
2012 Sundance Film Festival Jury Awards:
The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Beasts of the Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under,...
- 1/30/2012
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
Chicago – “Art is not a competition. But if it were, these would be the winners,” quipped filmmaker Mike Birbiglia at the Jan. 28 awards presentation for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Birbiglia’s deadpan humor would’ve made him an ideal host for the event, and his appearance was one of the few bright spots in a rather disappointing ceremony.
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, stepped in to replace Indie Queen Parker Posey, whose inspired comic turn in Michael Walker’s “Price Check” garnered positive buzz among festivalgoers. The show opened in tears and solemnity as Cooper paid heartfelt tribute to the late film executive Bingham Ray, who suffered a fatal stroke during the festival.
One of the evening’s big winners was Benh Zeitlin’s visually arresting drama “Beasts of the Southern Wild” about a six-year-old girl (Quvenzhané Wallis) who embarks on a search...
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, stepped in to replace Indie Queen Parker Posey, whose inspired comic turn in Michael Walker’s “Price Check” garnered positive buzz among festivalgoers. The show opened in tears and solemnity as Cooper paid heartfelt tribute to the late film executive Bingham Ray, who suffered a fatal stroke during the festival.
One of the evening’s big winners was Benh Zeitlin’s visually arresting drama “Beasts of the Southern Wild” about a six-year-old girl (Quvenzhané Wallis) who embarks on a search...
- 1/29/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival has come to an end, and the winners of the Jury, Audience, and Next <=> awards have been announced. There was a great selection of films this year at the festival, and I've seen more good than bad. I'm ultimately happy with the outcome. Beasts of the Southern Wild was this year's most buzzed about film and took home the top Grand Jury Prize. I didn't like it as much as everyone else, but it was still good, and it won. I think it was just way too over hyped for what I ended up seeing. Maybe I would have liked it more had I gone in with no expectations.
Here's the full breakdown of winners:
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, Next <=> and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah. An archived video...
Here's the full breakdown of winners:
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, Next <=> and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah. An archived video...
- 1/29/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Park City, Utah -- A mythical film starring an 8-year-old girl and a documentary about the war on drugs took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival.
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, and "The House I Live In" won the same honor in the U.S. documentary category Saturday at the independent film festival's awards ceremony.
Directed and co-written by 29-year-old first-time filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" follows a girl named Hushpuppy who lives with her father in the southern Delta. The film also won the cinematography prize.
Zeitlin said he was grateful to the Sundance Institute and labs, where he worked on the film for more than three years.
"This project was such a runt, this sort of messy-hair, dirty, wild child, and we just have been taken care of and just eased along until...
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, and "The House I Live In" won the same honor in the U.S. documentary category Saturday at the independent film festival's awards ceremony.
Directed and co-written by 29-year-old first-time filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" follows a girl named Hushpuppy who lives with her father in the southern Delta. The film also won the cinematography prize.
Zeitlin said he was grateful to the Sundance Institute and labs, where he worked on the film for more than three years.
"This project was such a runt, this sort of messy-hair, dirty, wild child, and we just have been taken care of and just eased along until...
- 1/29/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
The Sundance Film Festival prepared to come to a close for 2012 tonight as the festival held its some of its last screenings and mounted an awards ceremony to celebrate the best films of this year's festival. The biggest jury prizes went to Beasts of the Southern Wild (reviewed here [1]) and Eugene Jarecki's war on drugs documentary The House I Live In. The Surrogate (reviewed here [2]) took an Audience Award, as did the doc Searching for Sugar Man (reviewed here [3]) and the film Valley of Saints. The full list of awards is below. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards presented this evening were: The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Charles Ferguson to: The House I Live In / U.S.A. (Director: Eugene Jarecki) — For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad.
- 1/29/2012
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Beasts of the Southern Wild
The House I Live In, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Law in These Parts and Violeta Went to Heaven Earn Grand Jury Prizes
Audience Favorites Include The Invisible War, The Surrogate, Searching For Sugar Man and Valley of Saints
Sleepwalk With Me Receives Best of Audience Award
Park City, Ut . Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival.s Awards Ceremony, hosted by Parker Posey in Park City, Utah. An archived video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.
.Every year the Sundance Film Festival brings to light exciting new directions and fresh voices in independent film, and this year is no different,. said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. .While these awards further distinguish those that have had the most impact on audiences and our jury,...
The House I Live In, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Law in These Parts and Violeta Went to Heaven Earn Grand Jury Prizes
Audience Favorites Include The Invisible War, The Surrogate, Searching For Sugar Man and Valley of Saints
Sleepwalk With Me Receives Best of Audience Award
Park City, Ut . Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival.s Awards Ceremony, hosted by Parker Posey in Park City, Utah. An archived video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.
.Every year the Sundance Film Festival brings to light exciting new directions and fresh voices in independent film, and this year is no different,. said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. .While these awards further distinguish those that have had the most impact on audiences and our jury,...
- 1/29/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fox Searchlight was the big winner at the Sundance Film Festival 2012, as two of their acquired titles won top awards. It is no surprise that Benh Zeitlin‘s Beast of the Southern Wild (our review here) picked up the grand jury dramatic prize, as it was the most-buzzed of the fest. The Surrogate, starring John Hawkes, won the dramatic audience award and one can read our review of that drama here. It was great to see other fest favorites like Mike Birbiglia‘s Sleepwalk With Me and The Queen of Versailles among other winners. Check them all out below and see our full coverage here.
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, Next <=> and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, hosted by Parker Posey in Park City, Utah. An archived video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, Next <=> and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, hosted by Parker Posey in Park City, Utah. An archived video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.
- 1/29/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
World Cinema Jury Special Prize, Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul
World Cinema Documentary Editing: Indie Game: The Movie, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky
World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary: The Law in These Parts, Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize: Can, Rasit Celikezer
World Cinema Cinematography Award, Drama: David Raedeker, My Brother the Devil
World Cinema Cinematography Award, Documentary: Lars Skree, Putin's Kiss
World Cinema Directing Award, Documentary: Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, 5 Broken Cameras
Best of Next Audience Award: Sleepwalk With Me, Mike Birbiglia
Audience Award, Shorts: The Debutante Hunters, Maria White
Audience Award, World Cinema Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul
Audience Award, World Cinema: Valley of Saints, Musa Syeed
Audience Award, U.S. Documentary: The Invisible War, Kirby Dick
Audience Award, U.S. Drama: The Surrogate, Ben Lewin
World Cinema Jury Prize, Drama: Violeta Went to Heaven
World Cinema Directing Award, Drama: Teddy Bear,...
World Cinema Documentary Editing: Indie Game: The Movie, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky
World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary: The Law in These Parts, Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize: Can, Rasit Celikezer
World Cinema Cinematography Award, Drama: David Raedeker, My Brother the Devil
World Cinema Cinematography Award, Documentary: Lars Skree, Putin's Kiss
World Cinema Directing Award, Documentary: Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, 5 Broken Cameras
Best of Next Audience Award: Sleepwalk With Me, Mike Birbiglia
Audience Award, Shorts: The Debutante Hunters, Maria White
Audience Award, World Cinema Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul
Audience Award, World Cinema: Valley of Saints, Musa Syeed
Audience Award, U.S. Documentary: The Invisible War, Kirby Dick
Audience Award, U.S. Drama: The Surrogate, Ben Lewin
World Cinema Jury Prize, Drama: Violeta Went to Heaven
World Cinema Directing Award, Drama: Teddy Bear,...
- 1/29/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Beasts of the Southern Wild, director Benh Zeitlin’s surreal tale of a six-year old girl living with her father in the flooded basins near the southern delta, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic film. The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki’s documentary about the impact of America’s War on Drugs on poor communities, won for best documentary. The Surrogate, a movie about a man in an iron lung (John Hawkes) who decides to lose his virginity with the assistance of professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt), was honored with an Audience Award and a prize for Best Ensemble.
- 1/29/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Indie Game: The Movie is an amazing documentary that gives the audience an intimate look at the people driving the independent video game movement forward. It follows four individuals and their journey to achieving video game greatness by developing the games they want to make with no one telling them what they can and can't do. Let me introduce you to the individuals and games that the doc revolves around:
- Game designer Edmund McMillen and programmer Tommy Refenes and their work on the Xbox Live game Super Meat Boy, which follows the adventures of a skinless boy in search of his girlfriend, who is made of bandages.
- Developer Phil Fish and his game Fez, which is highly anticipated and has been four years in the making.
- And then there's Jonathan Blow, the creator of the indie game Braid, which is considered one of the highest-rated games of all time.
- Game designer Edmund McMillen and programmer Tommy Refenes and their work on the Xbox Live game Super Meat Boy, which follows the adventures of a skinless boy in search of his girlfriend, who is made of bandages.
- Developer Phil Fish and his game Fez, which is highly anticipated and has been four years in the making.
- And then there's Jonathan Blow, the creator of the indie game Braid, which is considered one of the highest-rated games of all time.
- 1/29/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
[1] With the exception of True Blood creator Alan Ball's very serious-sounding Banshee, today's TV Bits is all about the funny. After the jump: Dwight Schrute could leave Dunder Mifflin for Schrute Farms Paul Feig will direct Goldie Hawn in HBO's The Viagra Diaries CBS orders a pilot written by and starring Bridesmaids' Rebel Wilson Alan Ball sells an Amish country-set action drama to Cinemax HBO decides to turn Indie Game: The Movie into a half-hour comedy Though he's long been one of the company's most loyal employees, Dwight Schrute may be on his way to ditching Dunder-Mifflin in favor of Schrute Farms. NBC is reportedly developing a spinoff of The Office that'll be centered around Rainn Wilson's oddball character, with an eye toward debuting the show in midseason 2013. The series will be a comedy set at the Schrute family's beet farm / B&B, which has been seen...
- 1/27/2012
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Directors Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky call "Indie Game: The Movie" an "inspiring, cautionary tale." It explores the world of independent game development through developers of three games: Super Meat Boy, Fez and Braid. The duo has been building anticipation on the film's website, where they interact with the gaming community and write about the process of making the film, including two Kickstarter campaigns. The film has been getting great buzz at the festival for its univeral take on passion, craft and art, but it's also getting the seal of approval from the gaming community. And HBO has acquired adaptation rights for a fiction comedy series that Scott Rudin will oversee. The two filmmakers, who have been worked together for the past five years in Canada on works-for-hire and a television series on green construction, spoke with Indiewire about what they learned from the indie game industry as independent filmmakers.
- 1/26/2012
- Indiewire
On Sunday, during one of its first public screenings at the Sundance Film Festival, word began to spread that Indie Game: The Movie had been optioned by the American TV network HBO as the basis of a fictional television series.
Indie Game: The Movie – or Igtm – is a feature-length documentary covering the development of two of the biggest independent games releases of recent years – Super Meat Boy and Braid – as well as the soon-to-be-released Fez. I’ve written before about what a massive deal Igtm is going to be this year, both within the game development community and amongst mainstream audiences, and the film had been enjoying a fantastic reception after its world premiere at Sundance last week.
However, the news that remake rights for the film had been picked up by HBO drew mixed reactions from fans after some initial online speculation that the show would be a comedy...
Indie Game: The Movie – or Igtm – is a feature-length documentary covering the development of two of the biggest independent games releases of recent years – Super Meat Boy and Braid – as well as the soon-to-be-released Fez. I’ve written before about what a massive deal Igtm is going to be this year, both within the game development community and amongst mainstream audiences, and the film had been enjoying a fantastic reception after its world premiere at Sundance last week.
However, the news that remake rights for the film had been picked up by HBO drew mixed reactions from fans after some initial online speculation that the show would be a comedy...
- 1/25/2012
- by Emma O Sullivan
- Obsessed with Film
Deals and acquisitions in the books from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival:
Sundance 2012 Deal Report
Movie
Director
Stars
Studio
Amount
The Words
Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal
Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Olivia Wilde, and Dennis Quaid
CBS Films
$3.5 million
The Queen of Versailles
Lauren Greenfield
N/A (documentary)
Magnolia Pictures
Undisclosed
Searching For Sugar Man
Malik Bendjelloul
N/A (documentary)
Sony Pictures Classics
Undisclosed
Black Rock
Katie Aselton
Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell, and Katie Aselton
Ld Distribution
$1 million
The Surrogate
Ben Lewin
John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, and William H. Macy
Fox Searchlight...
Sundance 2012 Deal Report
Movie
Director
Stars
Studio
Amount
The Words
Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal
Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Olivia Wilde, and Dennis Quaid
CBS Films
$3.5 million
The Queen of Versailles
Lauren Greenfield
N/A (documentary)
Magnolia Pictures
Undisclosed
Searching For Sugar Man
Malik Bendjelloul
N/A (documentary)
Sony Pictures Classics
Undisclosed
Black Rock
Katie Aselton
Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell, and Katie Aselton
Ld Distribution
$1 million
The Surrogate
Ben Lewin
John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, and William H. Macy
Fox Searchlight...
- 1/24/2012
- by Lanford Beard
- EW - Inside Movies
I wasn’t expecting to be covering any TV-related things from the news out of the Sundance Film Festival, until this popped up. Indie Game: The Movie is a documentary that premiered on Saturday afternoon at the festival. In it, first-time filmmakers Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky tell the story of independent game designers, and their struggle to hit it big outside of the support of major game developers.
Deadline broke the news that HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired remake rights to the film. They also say that it’s going to be a half hour fictionalized comedy, which is a disappointment, but it could be good. What do you think about it? We’ll keep you posted!
Deadline broke the news that HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired remake rights to the film. They also say that it’s going to be a half hour fictionalized comedy, which is a disappointment, but it could be good. What do you think about it? We’ll keep you posted!
- 1/23/2012
- by Erin Willard
- ScifiMafia
The network teams up with producer Scott Rudin to make the documentary a half-hour show.
[Update at 8:13 Am: The creators of the doc have taken to the film's Facebook page to clarify that the half-hour series in development by Rudin and HBO is not, in fact, a comedy. They chalked its classification as such up to half-hour series development at HBO being traditionally associated with the network's line of comedies.]
While Indie Game: The Movie makes the rounds at Sundance, behind the scenes it gets picked up for a TV series. Not bad for a first-time indie feature about indie gaming. Based on its trailer and press materials, the James Swirsky and Lisanne Parjot-directed documentary Indie Game: The Movie doesn't necessarily seem like the easiest fit for pay-tv comedy, but that's the direction HBO and Rudin plan to go with the proposed adaptation. The documentary features Super Meat Boy developers Team Meat, as well as Phil Fish and Jonathan Blow, the guys behind Fez and Braid respectively, however there's no word on whether the upcoming series will have any involvement from them or even be based on their stories as presented in the doc.
Here's the synopsis for the documentary:
With the twenty-first century comes...
[Update at 8:13 Am: The creators of the doc have taken to the film's Facebook page to clarify that the half-hour series in development by Rudin and HBO is not, in fact, a comedy. They chalked its classification as such up to half-hour series development at HBO being traditionally associated with the network's line of comedies.]
While Indie Game: The Movie makes the rounds at Sundance, behind the scenes it gets picked up for a TV series. Not bad for a first-time indie feature about indie gaming. Based on its trailer and press materials, the James Swirsky and Lisanne Parjot-directed documentary Indie Game: The Movie doesn't necessarily seem like the easiest fit for pay-tv comedy, but that's the direction HBO and Rudin plan to go with the proposed adaptation. The documentary features Super Meat Boy developers Team Meat, as well as Phil Fish and Jonathan Blow, the guys behind Fez and Braid respectively, however there's no word on whether the upcoming series will have any involvement from them or even be based on their stories as presented in the doc.
Here's the synopsis for the documentary:
With the twenty-first century comes...
- 1/23/2012
- by Charles Webb
- MTV Multiplayer
ro*co productions and 1492 Pictures are teaming on a deal to adapt documentary films into dramatic narrative features. The first of these will be Yoav Potash's doco "Crime After Crime" which premiered at Sundance last year.
Said doco follows two newly graduated from school attorneys as they fight an uphill battle to free Debbie Peagler, a woman who had been incarcerated in prison for twenty years - having been sentenced to life behind bars for her role in the murder of the man who abused her.
The film won fifteen awards including the Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. ro*co is at Sundance this year with four films its distributing this year including "The Atomic States of America" and "We're Not Broke".
Meanwhile HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired feature remake rights to Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky 's doco "Indie Game: The Movie...
Said doco follows two newly graduated from school attorneys as they fight an uphill battle to free Debbie Peagler, a woman who had been incarcerated in prison for twenty years - having been sentenced to life behind bars for her role in the murder of the man who abused her.
The film won fifteen awards including the Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. ro*co is at Sundance this year with four films its distributing this year including "The Atomic States of America" and "We're Not Broke".
Meanwhile HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired feature remake rights to Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky 's doco "Indie Game: The Movie...
- 1/23/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Of all the artistic mediums, video games are perhaps the most misunderstood by the general populous. This is primarily due to the fact that it’s an art form still in its infancy, while also a powerful cultural phenomena. Similar to how Hollywood has monetized the film industry, large studios have done the same with games, dumping loads of cash into mass appeal experiences that while extremely polished, can sometimes feel heartlessly designed for a quick profit. But just as independent filmmakers passionate for their craft try to fill the mainstream entertainment void with unique personal stories, indie game developers are also creating provocative interactive media infused with their own special brand of quirkiness.
In Indie Game: The Movie first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky document this new breed of struggling artists who refuse to compromise on their personalized creative visions. The filmmakers smartly intertwine three narrative threads...
In Indie Game: The Movie first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky document this new breed of struggling artists who refuse to compromise on their personalized creative visions. The filmmakers smartly intertwine three narrative threads...
- 1/23/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
HBO has made its second acquisition at Sundance, buying the remake rights to the documentary “Indie Game: The Movie.” Sources indicate Scott Rudin will develop the film as a fictional half-hour comedy series for the network. Rudin's currently producing two series for HBO: "Newsroom" and "The Corrections." The film premiered Friday in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. Directed by first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, "Indie Game" is a heartfelt look inside the life and work of four indie video game developers as they try to get their respective projects off the ground. Before the festival began, HBO bough U.S. broadcasting rights to U.S. Competition doc "Me @The Zoo."...
- 1/22/2012
- Indiewire
Exclusive: HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired remake rights to Indie Game: The Movie, the documentary by first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky that premiered in Sundance on Saturday afternoon. Rudin will develop the film as a fictional half-hour comedy series for HBO and he will be executive producer. It is the second Sundance deal for HBO, which acquired the docu Me @ The Zoo for broadcast before the fest began. Indie Game captures the emotional journey of a new breed of struggling independent artists: the indie game designer. Refusing to work for the major game developers, these innovators bet on themselves by independently conceiving, designing, and programming their distinctly personal games in the hope that they, too, may hit it big. The film follows several of these meticulously obsessive video game artists. Film Sales Company’s Andrew Herwitz. Rudin has several high profile series projects at HBO.
- 1/22/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired remake rights to Indie Game: The Movie, the documentary by first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky that premiered in Sundance on Saturday afternoon. Rudin will develop the film as a fictional half-hour comedy series for HBO and he will be executive producer. It is the second Sundance deal for HBO, which acquired the docu Me @ The Zoo for broadcast before the fest began. Indie Game captures the emotional journey of a new breed of struggling independent artists: the indie game designer. Refusing to work for the major game developers, these innovators bet on themselves by independently conceiving, designing, and programming their distinctly personal games in the hope that they, too, may hit it big. The film follows several of these meticulously obsessive video game artists. Film Sales Company’s Andrew Herwitz. Rudin has several high profile series projects at HBO.
- 1/22/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
The most profoundly moving moment of “Indie Game: The Movie” arrives an hour and twenty minutes into this terrific documentary. As designer Edmund McMillen watches YouTube videos of people spurting out expletives while playing his game Super Meat Boy, the kind-faced man breaks into a glowing smile. He’s made that connection, reached out to people and has been reaffirmed by their love for his brainchild. It’s the glimpse of a blinding sun at the end of a long, cold road, and 'Indie Game,' directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, is filled with moments that lay bare the emotional stakes of game design and development, an art that remains vastly underrated by the mainstream. Possibly the most mature look at video games yet, and a fine documentary in its own right, “Indie Game: The Movie” serves not only to erase the image of the programmer as a pimple-annointed malcontent recluse,...
- 1/22/2012
- The Playlist
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.