Sundance's 2012 launchings

One of the most surprising twists of this year's Oscar nominations was granting J.C. Chandor a ticket for Best Original Screenplay for Margin Call, a low budget independent film about the global financial crisis that premiered last year in Sundance. At the time, I reported it as one of the films that successfully picked a distributor, along with the already exhibited Another Earth, Like Crazy, My Idiot Brother and Martha Marcy May Marlene  - others still to come. Since 2005, when Michael Arndt's Little Miss Sunshine won the aforementioned award, Sundance spilled into the world a total of eleven films admitted by the Academy in the writing categories: The Squid and the Whale (2005), Savages (2007), In Bruges (2008), Frozen River (2008), The Messenger (2009), In the Loop (2009), An Education (2009), The Kids Are All Right (2010), Winter's Bones (2010), yet grasping another win for Precious (2009).

The place where independent new talent nourishes from digital, low cash, quirky original filmmaking has Rodrigo Cortés' (Buried) new film Red Lights (starring Robert de Niro, Elizabeth Olsen and Sigourney Weaver) has one of the biggest highlights. Let's hope some of this year's major deals listed bellow will stick to the thread. Via The Hollywood Reporter.

The Surrogate | Fox Searchlight: Nearly $6 million, worldwide rights (CAA)

Red Lights | Millennium Entertainment: Nearly $4 million, U.S. rights (UTA)

For a Good Time, Call ... | Focus Features: $3 million, worldwide rights (Cinetic)

Arbitrage | Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions: About $3 million, North American rights (WME)

Robot & Frank | Sony and Samuel Goldwyn Films: $2 million-plus, North American rights and select territories (ICM, CAA)

Lay the Favorite | The Weinstein Co.: $2 million-plus, U.S. rights (CAA)

Celeste and Jesse Forever | Sony Pictures Classics: About $2 million, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe (UTA)

The Words | CBS Films: $2 million, U.S. rights (CAA, Cassian Elwes, Laura Rister)

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap | The Indomina Group: $1 million-plus, worldwide rights (UTA)

V/H/S | Magnolia Pictures (Magnet): $1 million-plus, North American rights (WME)

Black Rock | LD Distribution: $1 million-plus, N. American rights (Submarine) Liberal Arts | IFC Films$1 million-plus, North American rights (Gersh)

Safety Not Guaranteed | FilmDistrict: $1 million-plus, U.S. rights (ICM)

Shadow Dancer | ATO Pictures: $1 million, N. American rights (CAA)

Beasts of the Southern Wild | Fox Searchlight: Nearly $1 million, U.S. rights (WME)

How to Survive a Plague | Sundance Selects: High-six figures, North American rights (Submarine)

The Pact | IFC Midnight: High-six figures, North American rights (Preferred Content)

Nobody Walks | Magnolia Pictures: Mid- to high-six figures, North American rights (Submarine)

Middle of Nowhere | Participant Media and the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement: Mid-six figures, U.S. rights (Paradigm)

The Queen of Versailles | Magnolia Pictures: Mid-six figures, North American rights (Submarine)

Searching for Sugar Man | Sony Pictures Classics: Mid-six figures, N. American rights (Submarine)

Compliance | Magnolia Pictures: N/A, U.S. rights (Cinetic)
 
2 Days in New York | Magnolia Pictures: N/A, North American rights (CAA)

Wish You Were Here | Entertainment One: N/A, North American rights (LevelK)

Simon Killer | IFC Films: N/A, North American rights (UTA, CAA)