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TIFF 2011 Buyer’s Club: #18. Ian FitzGibbon’s Death of a Superhero
We're not sure what kind of a fanbase there is for the novel, but we think that audiences might be a sucker for not only the premise (teen boy fighting off cancer and a full blown adolescence crisis) but for everything else the film might offer (genuinely smart use of animation). We didn't care for Perrier’s Bounty, but if the tone is just right: Ian FitzGibbon might have a winner.
TIFF 2011 Buyer’s Club: #19. Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet & Daisy
Last time Saoirse Ronan portrayed a cold blooded killer it gave us Hanna - it revitalized the subgenre of a teenage assassin. I'm not expecting a Thelma & Louise or NBK remake here and I'm generally weary of newbie screenwriters who try their hand at working behind the lenses --- but if this is cold, graphic and violent enough, then we might just have an indie side-dish worth checking out. The two girls and a gun should field plenty of offers.
TIFF 2011 Buyer’s Club: The 20 Biggest Buzz Titles
There must be around 120 titles showing at TIFF next week with available North American rights but only there only about two dozen titles that will premium must see titles for ALL acquisition heads. Once again I've put together a Top 20 list with the highest item on the list belonging to the title that should fetch the most dollars and perhaps the most heat in terms of a North American distribution deal.
Cinemad Wipe Themselves in ‘Shit Year’
Micro-distributor Cinemad Presents have added what I imagine is their first Cannes title to their humble slate. Cam Archer's 2010 Cannes preemed Shit Year (Directors' Fortnight) will be brought to market next month with a booking at the IFC in NYC with other venues/cities to follow.
Takashi Shimizu Times Two: Well Go USA Make Pre-Venice Pick-up of ‘Tormented’
Texas-based Asian genre film specialists Well Go USA have made a two-picture pick-up deal with Fortissimo Films for Takashi Shimizu’s last pair of films - both Marco Mueller's Lido selected items. Via their output deal with Variance films, look for the Venice Film Festival 2011 selected Tormented to be shown in theaters while 2010's The Shock Labyrinth will probably go the direct to VOD route.
