IFC Films Buys SXSW Award Winner ‘Bad Axe’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMenemsha Films has taken distribution rights in North America to Thomas Roth’s drama “Schaechten – A Retribution” in a deal with Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree Intl. PTI has debuted the film’s trailer, and will hold an invitation-only private screening of the film for buyers in Cannes.Neil Friedman, president of Menemsha Films, said: “The film ‘Schaechten’ is a true discovery.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaCanvas Media Studios and MarVista Entertainment have hammers out a six-film slate deal that will be focused on identifying diverse, first-time and up-and- coming writers and directors.The agreement will involve fully financed completed titles with a pre-buy distribution commitment from MarVista Entertainment, which will also oversee global distribution for all films produced under the partnership.Canvas, a​ venture capital-backed​ ​content​ ​company, is led by David Tochterman, an industry vet with stints at Overbrook Entertainment and the Carsey Werner Company. MarVista Entertainment, a division of Fox Entertainment, averages 80 new movies per year.MarVista’s recent projects include the Amazon Prime Video release “Christmas Is Canceled” starring Hayley Orrantia, Dermot Mulroney, and Janel Parrish; “Stay Awake,” starring Chrissy Metz; and the IFC release “Hunter Hunter,” starring Devon Sawa, Nick Stahl, and Camille Sullivan.

The AMC+ streaming service will be host to new movies every Friday. Films on the service will feature an array of titles from distributors IFC Films, IFC Midnight, RLJE Films and Shudder, serving as the streaming home following the theatrical releases of films from these distributors, AMC Networks announced on Tuesday.Films will be streaming on AMC+ 90 days after they first hit theaters thanks to a new agreement with AMC Networks Film Group (IFC Films, IFC Midnight and RLJE Films) through which AMC+ is the exclusive streaming home of the company’s full slate of films following their theatrical and digital distribution.While most titles will be streaming 90 days after their theatrical release, select titles will be premiering day-and-date in theaters and on AMC+.The first film to kick off this new agreement is the IFC Films feature “Clean,” starring Adrien Brody, which will be streaming on AMC+ on Friday, May 6.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeIFC Films is moving its first pay television window to AMC+, in a bid by AMC Networks to carve out a weekly exclusive movie premiere every week of the year for its in-house streaming service. Under the new deal, announced on Tuesday, AMC+ will be the exclusive streaming home of movies from AMC Networks Film Group — which includes IFC Films, IFC Midnight and RLJE Films — in the “Pay 1” window, following theatrical and digital distribution.The films, premiering each Friday on AMC+, will stream 90 days after their initial theatrical release, but select titles will premiere day-and-date in both theaters and simultaneously on AMC+.

Another major film distributor’s output is staying within the corporate ecosystem with a pact at the sibling streamer. AMC Networks-owned IFC Films has signed Pay 1 (post-theater window) output deal with AMC+ as part of AMC Networks’ efforts to boost its flagship streaming platform.

Christopher Vourlias Wolfe Releasing has acquired all North American rights for director Magnus Gertten’s feature documentary “Nelly & Nadine” ahead of its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on April 30. Wolfe Releasing has slated the documentary for a theatrical and streaming release in late 2022.Produced by Ove Rishøj Jensen from Auto Images, “Nelly & Nadine” had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Teddy Jury Award, the highest honor for an LGBTQ+ film.“Nelly & Nadine” is the story of two women who fall in love on Christmas Eve 1944 in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit that helps people over 16 and under State Pension age with the extra costs of living with a long-term illness, mental or physical health condition or disability.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, which made its world premiere at SXSW last month, has seen its North American rights get scooped up by IFC Films and AMC+. The pic will hit theatres and VOD and stream exclusively on AMC+ this summer.

Martin Scorsese’s nonprofit The Film Foundation is launching a free virtual screening room to showcase restored films starting May 9 with I Know Where I’m Going!.

Whoopi Goldberg, William Shatner, Amy Poehler, Alex Kurtzman, Maury Povich, Warner Bros Television Group chairman Channing Dungey and producer and media investor Jeff Sagansky have been selected as the recipients of NATPE’s 2022 Tartikoff Legacy Awards. The awards, in their 18th year, are given to acknowledge a select group of television professionals who have demonstrated the highest degree of excellence in their field.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaUTA has signed The Kinnane Brothers. The eight brothers have joined forces to form a full-service independent film, television and content production company that has shown a talent for crossing mediums to create click-y and binge-able movies, shows and videos.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaMagnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “I Love My Dad,” one of the biggest breakouts from this year’s SXSW.Critics loved “I Love My Dad” reserving particular praise for the direction of James Morosini and for Patton Oswalt’s lead performance. The movie, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature as well as the Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award at the festival, certainly gets points for originality.

IFC Films has taken worldwide rights (excluding Nordics) Bad Axe, a documentary directed by David Siev in his feature debut. In it, the filmmaker returns home to rural Michigan for an intimate look at his Asian-American family’s quest to keep their local restaurant and American dream alive amidst the pandemic and Trump-era political and racial tensions.

Emmy-nominated American writer and film director Stefan Forbes, known for making the documentary “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story,” is back with another fantastic documentary, this time focusing on conflict resolution and how you can’t fight fire with fire in the aptly titled, “Hold Your Fire.” The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and was quickly acquired by IFC Films.