Exclusive articles:
Lorber Lands Explosive ‘Armadillo’
Finally. Someone has picked up the rights on one of the best documentary films you might see all year. Collecting tons of accolades since it premiered and won in the Critic's Week section in Cannes, Lorber Films have nabbed Janus Metz’s Armadillo before it goes unto more damage on the awards front. A 2011 release is expected for the Afghanistan war doc and should grab a couple of wins from its six Cinema Eye nominations.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Victoria Mahoney’s Yelling to the Sky
And finally....I'd be truly disappointed if somehow this 50th prediction pick didn't materialize, as it as "Sundance" written all over it. I sort of jumped the gun with my predictions last year by naming Victoria Mahoney's Yelling to the Sky as a 2010 ready title. I was "off" by couple of seasons. The Sundance Lab supported filmmaker has spent 2010 deep in post-production and receive some extra support from the IFP Filmmaker Labs and was a Cinereach Sundance Institute Grantee. All that to say: 2011 will definitely be the breakout year for her directorial debut.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Tom McCarthy’s Win Win
If Fox Searchlight execs still have enough energy left in the tank after a busy end of 2010, then they might begin the year with a bang, and put Tom McCarthy's second film into early circulation. Ideally, if Win Win is eventually pegged with an eventual spring release, then a showing at Sundance would help with early buzz. Sundance was the second stop for McCarthy's intro to filmmaking with The Visitor, and with Melanie Lynskey, Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan and Jeffrey Tambor on board, this smells like a dramedy fit for the snowy Park City backdrop.
2011 Sundance Predictions: M. Blash’s The Wait
M. Blash’s debut film Lying went straight to Cannes, I wonder if this time out he'll hit a fest like Sundance before attempting to repeat with the French. M. Blash's The Wait comes in with virtuality no buzz, but then again, Meek's Cutoff wasn't even a blip on the radar before the Venice announcement.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Jeff Nichols’ Untitled Psychological Drama
Shotgun Stories was one of the best discoveries in American Independent film in 2007 and ironically, it had it's world premiere not at Sundance, but a couple of weeks later in Berlin. Jeff Nichols isn't likely going to be "overlooked" a second time out if he decides to submit his untitled psychological drama sophomore feature formerly going by the title of "Shelter".
