The trickle of deals quickened to a torrent in Park City on Monday as buyers announced a slew of expensive acquisitions.
Warner Independent Pictures (WiP) paid in the region of $4m for North American, UK and German rights to the comedy Clubland late in the afternoon. Separately, UK-based Goalpost Film sold Italian rights to Lucky Red, French rights to Wild Bunch and Greek rights to Rosebud.
Fox Searchlight paid $5m for worldwide rights to Adrienne Shelley's romantic comedy Waitress, hot on the heels of its approximately $4m acquisition of worldwide rights the night before to the psychological thriller Joshua.
THINKFilm picked up North American rights to documentary In The Shadow Of The Moon in what distribution chief Mark Urman called 'the biggest deal we've ever done, in the multiple millions.' The closing price was thought to be $1.5m.
Meanwhile Sony Pictures Classics paid around $2m for My Kid Could Paint That, Amir Bar-Lev's documentary about a child prodigy whose commercial art may be partly the creation of her father.
WiP plans to release Clubland this summer. Brenda Blethyn stars as a comedienne past her prime who regards her son's latest girlfriend as an assault on the sanctity of her family. Cherie Nowlan directed the comedy. Goalpost Film's Tristan Whalley served as executive producer and Rosemary Blight of RB Films in Australia produced.
WiP's acquisitions team moved in after watching the film on Sunday night. Paul Federbush and vice president of business affairs Courtney Armstrong negotiated the deal with WMA's Cassian Elwes, Rena Ronson and Phil Alberstat.
Waitress was always going to be a strong draw following Shelly's tragic murder in New York last November. Keri Russell plays a diner employee stuck in a bad marriage who gets a chance at finding love. Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines also star.
Searchlight plans a 2007 release. The studio's senior vice president of acquisitions Tony Safford and executive vice president of business affairs Stephen Plum negotiated the deal with Andrew Herwitz of The Film Sales Company and Irwin Rappaport.
THINKFilm will release London-based DOX Production's and Passion Films' In The Shadow Of The Moon in the autumn in association with Discovery Communications' Discovery Films division, which acquired television rights and an equity interest in the theatrical release on the eve of the festival.
David Sington's combines recollections from the surviving Apollo space programme astronauts with rare NASA footage. 'It's one of the most grand and commercial documentaries I have ever seen,' Urman said. 'It's very much a film about America and American heroes that Americans need to see now more than ever.'
Urman and senior vice president Randy Manis made their move after Sunday's screening and Manis concluded the deal at 4am on Sunday.
Joshua centres on a Manhattan family in which the eponymous prodigy reveals a dark side to his personality when his new baby sister arrives. George Ratliff directed and the film stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and Jacob Kogan.
'George Ratliff and [Ratliff's co-writer] David Gilbert have created an unbelievably tense and frightful tale,' Fox Searchlight president Peter Rice said. 'We are delighted to be bringing this emotionally charged film to audiences this summer.'
Fox Searchlight's Safford and Plum did the deal with Andrew Hurwitz and Rich Klubeck of UTA for ATO Pictures. Ratliff was represented by Julianne Hausler of New York Office.
Warner Independent Pictures (WiP) paid in the region of $4m for North American, UK and German rights to the comedy Clubland late in the afternoon. Separately, UK-based Goalpost Film sold Italian rights to Lucky Red, French rights to Wild Bunch and Greek rights to Rosebud.
Fox Searchlight paid $5m for worldwide rights to Adrienne Shelley's romantic comedy Waitress, hot on the heels of its approximately $4m acquisition of worldwide rights the night before to the psychological thriller Joshua.
THINKFilm picked up North American rights to documentary In The Shadow Of The Moon in what distribution chief Mark Urman called 'the biggest deal we've ever done, in the multiple millions.' The closing price was thought to be $1.5m.
Meanwhile Sony Pictures Classics paid around $2m for My Kid Could Paint That, Amir Bar-Lev's documentary about a child prodigy whose commercial art may be partly the creation of her father.
WiP plans to release Clubland this summer. Brenda Blethyn stars as a comedienne past her prime who regards her son's latest girlfriend as an assault on the sanctity of her family. Cherie Nowlan directed the comedy. Goalpost Film's Tristan Whalley served as executive producer and Rosemary Blight of RB Films in Australia produced.
WiP's acquisitions team moved in after watching the film on Sunday night. Paul Federbush and vice president of business affairs Courtney Armstrong negotiated the deal with WMA's Cassian Elwes, Rena Ronson and Phil Alberstat.
Waitress was always going to be a strong draw following Shelly's tragic murder in New York last November. Keri Russell plays a diner employee stuck in a bad marriage who gets a chance at finding love. Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines also star.
Searchlight plans a 2007 release. The studio's senior vice president of acquisitions Tony Safford and executive vice president of business affairs Stephen Plum negotiated the deal with Andrew Herwitz of The Film Sales Company and Irwin Rappaport.
THINKFilm will release London-based DOX Production's and Passion Films' In The Shadow Of The Moon in the autumn in association with Discovery Communications' Discovery Films division, which acquired television rights and an equity interest in the theatrical release on the eve of the festival.
David Sington's combines recollections from the surviving Apollo space programme astronauts with rare NASA footage. 'It's one of the most grand and commercial documentaries I have ever seen,' Urman said. 'It's very much a film about America and American heroes that Americans need to see now more than ever.'
Urman and senior vice president Randy Manis made their move after Sunday's screening and Manis concluded the deal at 4am on Sunday.
Joshua centres on a Manhattan family in which the eponymous prodigy reveals a dark side to his personality when his new baby sister arrives. George Ratliff directed and the film stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and Jacob Kogan.
'George Ratliff and [Ratliff's co-writer] David Gilbert have created an unbelievably tense and frightful tale,' Fox Searchlight president Peter Rice said. 'We are delighted to be bringing this emotionally charged film to audiences this summer.'
Fox Searchlight's Safford and Plum did the deal with Andrew Hurwitz and Rich Klubeck of UTA for ATO Pictures. Ratliff was represented by Julianne Hausler of New York Office.
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