Trade Roughage 2/5/07

By Karina Longworth posted 7 months ago

IFC has acquired Ballast for day-and-date release in a deal apparently worth “a six-figures…plus gross participation and a real P&A commitment.” Lance Hammer’s excellent drama premiered last month at Sundance; see my review here and Kevin’s interview with Hammer and the film’s cast here.
Diane Garrett says reporters at yesterday’s Oscar nominee’s luncheon tried to keep the conversation light––what are you wearing, etc––but stars like Viggo Mortensen, George Clooney and Michael Moore kept returning to the issue of the writers strike. Everyone agreed that unless the strike is full resolved by Oscar night, AMPAS can throw whatever kind of alternate event they like, but not a single SAG or WGA member will show up.
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has hired two former ThinkFilm employees, David Fenkel and Dan Berger, to help him start a “a full-service film distribution company” called Oscilloscope Pictures. Fenkel’s summing up of the curation strategy: “We do the films we want to do.”