Sony Pictures Classics announced on Thursday that it has acquired the rights to Sundance hit “Animal Kingdom” in the U.S. and Latin America.

The Australian crime drama -- from first-time director David Michôd and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton and Guy Pearce -- won the 2010 Sundance World Cinema Jury Prize.

It was produced by Liz Watts with production company Porchlight Films.

The deal was negotiated by Rena Ronson of UTA's Independent Film Group which represented North American rights on behalf of the producers, and E1 Entertainment acting as the international sales agent.

“There is nothing more exciting than the birth of a major filmmaker,” Sony Pictures said in a statement. “David Michôd is about as major as they come.”

[Photo: Joel Edgerton in Animal Kingdom, courtesy of Sony]

Phase 4 Films has picked up North American rights for "The Freebie," the company announced on Monday.

The romantic comedy premiered at Sundance last weekend and stars Dax Shepard and writer/director Katie Aselton.

Phase 4 spent in the mid six figures to acquire the movie, which was heavily sought after by at least four other studios, according to a source familiar with the bidding.

The deal closed on Sunday night at 11:55. Negotiations were conducted by Larry Greenberg, Phase 4 Films’ senior vice president of acquisitions and Josh Braun and Jason Janego from Submarine Entertainment.

Because the deal was hammered out five minutes before midnight (the witching hour), the company was able to tout the fact that the acquisition marked the last official deal of Sundance.
 

Phase 4 plans to release the movie next summer.

"'The Freebie' is one of those rare Sundance movies that you know is destined to be a classic," Berry Meyerowitz president & CEO of Phase 4 Films said in a statement. "In her directorial debut, Katie Aselton has created an enchanting and refreshingly honest look at modern love that rivals Hollywood studio fare."

The movie on a young married couple whose sex life has stalled, who toy with the idea of allowing each other to seek out a one night stand as a way to spice things up. Reviews were mostly favorable with many commenting that Shepard, hitherto primarily known for low brow comedies, handled the film's more serious moments gracefully.

With nothing close to a breakout favorite like last year's unconventional hit, "Precious," this year’s Sundance Film Festival laid bare an independent film landscape more fragmented and confused than ever.

Plenty of films sold, but none for premium prices. An experiment using YouTube went nowhere. The themes were familiar and so was the execution, from audience favorites like "happythankyoumoreplease" to the thriller-in-a-coffin, "Buried."

If those films were satisfying in their own right, there was nothing to choose from that seemed likely to match the national hunger for humor and diversion, a la "Napoleon Dynamite."

Instead, there were titles like the brutal "Killer Inside Me," which sold to IFC, and grand jury prize winner, "Winter's Bone," about a grieving teen’s frantic search for her missing father, which sold to Roadside Attractions.

An attempt to take the festival into a digital future faltered. The  five films that the festival made available for rental garenered  no more than 1500 viewings over the course of two days. If that's the best that Sundance can do for movies in the era of new media, than perhaps it should simply return to the old world distribution it knows best.

Audiences perked up for "The Kids Are All Right," a major Sundance buy for Focus Features about two lesbian mothers, their confused teenagers and the sperm donor that brought the family into existence. The movie features impressive performances for Julian Moore and Annette Bening as a believable middle-aged couple, but it works on a fairly basic sitcom level that makes it feel relatively similar to countless other Sundance breakout stories.

“I thought Sundance 2010 was a good year for the quality of films presented, but I doubt it will be remembered as a particularly strong acquisitions market,” said Tom Ortenberg, former president of theatrical films at Lionsgate and founder of the consulting firm One Way Out Media. “Given the films that were snapped up ... I'm sure there will be a brisk after-market in terms of film sales."

There was lingering optimism within the ranks of the sellers, too.

"The filmmakers definitely brought a great batch of films and I was happy to see that the buyers seem to be stirring again," said filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev, whose "My Kid Could Paint" sold to Sony Pictures Classics out of the festival in 2007. His latest film, "The Tillman Story," is nearing a deal with The Weinstein Company.

The first big buy of the festival, "Buried," found a home early in the festival with Lionsgate, which shelled out a reported $3.2 million for the horror movie it hopes to release as soon as possible. Lionsgate, which attempted to abandon its association with the genre after "Hostel 2" flopped in 2007, decided to return to a familiar arena after nabbing "Precious" out of the 2009 festival.

While that decision paid off, no single film in this year's program seemed to suggest the same sort of massive breakout potential destined for Lee Daniels's portrait of Harlem strife from the moment it premiered at the festival.

As a result, Lionsgate turned to a relatively secure alternative. "Buried" takes place entirely within the confines of a coffin, as Ryan Reynolds desperately attempts to escape -- but the genre conventions of the movie feel relatively familiar, and "Buried" stands a good chance at turning a profit. But if "Buried" provides the safest distribution possibility out of Sundance, "Winter's Bone" could end up as the biggest challenge, despite its enthusiastic response. Roadside Attractions head of acquisitions  Dustin Smith expressed excitement over the movie's prospects. "It's my favorite kind of independent film," he said, "one that's not about aspiring writers who have trouble dating. It's a tense thriller and a great detective story populated by strong, proud people who've always had to take care of themselves and wouldn't want it any other way." Then again, "Winter's Bone" seems like a straightforward release when compared to the challenges ahead for IFC Films and Newmarket with their respective purchases, "Hesher" and "The Killer Inside Me." In the former, Joseph-Gordon Leavitt puts on his wildest performance ever as a maniacal rocker of unclear origins stalking a young suburban boy. The movie stands virtually no chance at appealing to mass audiences, although Gordon-Leavitt's hilariously unhinged performance might gain a cult following. No such luck for "The Killer Inside Me," Michael Winterbottom's grisly adaptation of the 1950s novel that has raised the ire of many viewers for its graphic brutality toward women. The movie, which features Casey Affleck as a brutal serial killer, received an unprecedented negative reaction after its premiere -- although that didn't stop IFC Films from taking a gamble. Then again, "Killer" seems like a classic IFC buy, destined for life on VOD in addition to a fleeting theatrical release. Nothing new there. "In many respects, Sundance is always the same," said Mark Urman, independent film consultant. "Movies you expect to be good, disappoint; the films you shy away from because they sound bad on paper turn out to be wonderful. Half the time you feel as of you're in the wrong theater. That said, I thought the mood this year was high. Positive, not poisonous like last year. People seemed upbeat,  invigorated, inspired. If the independent arena is hard -- and it still is -- I think people are more prepared to do the work than they were in the past few years."

Harvey Weinstein is apparently prepared to do the work -- or at least take some chances -- as The Weinstein Company nabbed the well-liked romance "Blue Valentine" and negotiated for a deal to buy "The Tillman Story," Bar-Lev's smartly edited documentary about a military cover-up.  Despite claims of "cinematic rebellion" throughout the festival, with these familiar deals, Sundance actually offered more of the same.  "The number of sales during the festival is almost exactly the same as last year," Roadside's Smith said. "This year's buys and prices seem to be all be pretty smart and in line with what reasonable expectations should be for these films. No one went crazy this year and made any foolish multi-million-dollar buys."  

"Winter's Bone," a dreary backwoods noir about a grief-stricken teenager looking for her missing father, and "Restrepo," a brutal, action-packed documentary about young soldiers in Afghanistan, won the top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival's awards ceremony on Saturday night. "Winter's Bone" won the Grand Jury prize for U.S. dramatic film. Director Debra Granik, who also accepted the screenwriting award earlier in the evening, unloaded a long list of collaborators before adding, "On this budget level, I really can't thank everybody." "Restrepo," Sebastian Junger ("The Perfect Storm") and Tim Hetherington's visually dynamic portrait of a military bunker named after a fallen comrade, took home the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary. Of the two big winners, only "Winter's Bone" has yet to secure theatrical distribution, through Roadside Attractions. "Restrepo," which screened at the festival on opening night, remains on the market. "This country is at a very painful moment," Junger said in his acceptance speech. "We would like it if our movie could help this country go forward." The ceremony was hosted by David Hyde Pierce, whose entrance began with a crowd-pleasing rap song that contained lyrics referencing most of the movies in the program. Festival director John Cooper joined Pierce onstage to throw in a few lyrics, all of which were written by Sundance programmer David Courier. "Animal Kingdom," the Australian gangster film starring Guy Pearce that follows the decline of a family in theMelbourne underworld, won the Sundance World Cinema dramatic jury prize. The naturalistic crime story from writer-director David Michod was clearly an audience favorite at Sundance, and also won positive critical reaction. Meanwhile "The Red Chapel," Mads Brugger's jab at the brainwashers of North Korea, won the World Cinema jury prize for documentary. Audience awards went to "happythankyoumoreplease" for U.S. dramatic film, and "Waiting for Superman" for U.S. documentary. Editor's note: This version is corrected from an early version that did not specify that Grand Jury wins for "Animal Kingdom" and "The Red Chapel" were in the World Cinema category. Here's the complete release from Sundance:   2010 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARDS Animal Kingdom, The Red Chapel, Restrepo, and Winter's Bone Earn Grand Jury Prizes Audience Favorites Feature Contracorriente, happythankyoumoreplease, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, andWasteland Peers Give Homewrecker Best of NEXT Award Park City, UT-The Jury, Audience, NEXT, and other special award-winners of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival were announced tonight at the Festival's Awards Ceremony hosted by David Hyde Pierce (star of The Perfect Host which premiered in this year's Park City at Midnight section) in Park City, Utah. Highlights from the Awards Ceremony can be seen on the Festival website, www.sundance.org/festival. Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from four categories: U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition and World Cinema Documentary Competition. All films in competition were also eligible for Sundance Film Festival Audience Awards as selected by Festival audiences. The U.S. Audience Awards presented by Honda and World Cinema Audience Awards were announced by Louis C.K. Joseph Gordon Levitt announced the new Best of NEXT award, chosen by peers in the section and presented by YouTube™ in celebration of films made with little or no budget. Jury Prizes in Shorts Filmmaking were awarded to American and international short-form films on Tuesday, January 26. Other awards recognized at the ceremony included the Sundance / NHK International Filmmakers Award, created to honor and support emerging filmmakers with their next screenplays, and the Alfred P. Sloan Prize, awarded to a film which excels in addressing compelling topics in science or technology. "Great films make for a great festival," said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. "This year it was as if I could feel a shift in the DNA of the film community - the reaction to the films was inspiring." "These awards celebrate the diversity of this year's program," said Trevor Groth, the Festival's Director of Programming. "Hopefully the attention these prizes bring will allow the films to connect with a wider audience hungry for choice." The 2010 Sundance Film Festival Juries consisted of: U.S. Documentary Competition: Greg Barker, Dayna Goldfine, Nancy Miller, Morgan Spurlock, Ondi Timoner; U.S. Dramatic Competition: Russell Banks, Jason Kliot, Karyn Kusama, Parker Posey, Robert Yeoman; World Cinema Documentary Competition: Jennifer Baichwal, Jeffrey Brown, Asako Fujioka; World Cinema Dramatic Competition: Alison Maclean, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Sigurjon "Joni" Sighvatsson; Shorts Competition: Sterlin Harjo, Brent Hoff, Christine Vachon; Alfred P. Sloan Award: Peter Galison, Darcy Kelley, Joe Palca, Paul Sereno, Marianna Palka. For the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, 117 feature-length films were selected including 85 world premieres, 11 North American premieres, and 12 U.S. premieres representing 39 countries with 51 first-time filmmakers, including 27 in competition. These films were selected from 3,724 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,920 U.S. and 1,804 international feature-length films. 2010 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners: The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Restrepo, directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington. Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's year dug in with the Second Platoon in one of Afghanistan's most strategically crucial valleys reveals extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of back breaking labor, deadly firefights, and camaraderie as the soldiers painfully push back the Taliban. The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik; written by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini. An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her missing father while trying to keep her family intact. The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to The Red Chapel (Det Røde Kapel)directed by Mads Brügger. A journalist with no scruples, a self-proclaimed spastic, and a comedian travel to North Korea under the guise of a cultural exchange visit to challenge one of the world's most notorious regimes. Denmark The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Animal Kingdom, written and directed by David Michôd. After the death of his mother, a seventeen year-old boy is thrust precariously between an explosive criminal family and a detective who thinks he can save him. Australia The Audience Awards are presented to both a dramatic and documentary film in four Competitions as voted by Sundance Film Festival audiences. The 2010 Sundance Film Festival Audience Awards are presented by Honda. The Audience Award: Documentary was presented to WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, directed by Davis Guggenheim, for his examination of the crisis of public education in the United States through multiple interlocking stories. The Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to happythankyoumoreplease, written and directed by Josh Radnor, about six New Yorkers juggling love, friendship, and the keenly challenging specter of adulthood. The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary was presented to Wasteland, directed by Lucy Walker about international art star Vik Muniz, garbage pickers in the world's largest landfill in Rio de Janeiro and the transformative power of art. United Kingdom / Brazil The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to Contracorriente (Undertow) written and directed by Javier Fuentes-Leõn, an unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside in which a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions. Peru / Colombia / France / Germany New for 2010: Best of NEXT. Selected by ballots cast by the eight NEXT filmmakers, this award celebrates a film creating the greatest art on a low budget. The Best of NEXT award is presented by YouTube™. The Best of NEXT award was presented to Homewrecker, directed by Todd Barnes and Brad Barnes and written by Todd Barnes, Brad Barnes, and Sophie Goodhart. The last romantic in New York City is an ex-con locksmith on work release. Directing Awards recognize excellence in directing for dramatic and documentary features. The Directing Award: Documentary was presented to Smash His Camera, directed by Leon Gast, about famous celebrity photographer and original paparazzo, Ron Galella. The Directing Award: Dramatic was presented to 3 Backyards, directed and written by Eric Mendelsohn. The film is about a trio of brief, life-altering adventures unfolding in a seemingly normal autumn day. The World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary was presented to Space Tourists, directed by Christian Frei who explores the impact of space tourism in the heavens and on earth. Switzerland The World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic was presented to Southern District, directed and written by Juan Carlos Valdivia, about a bourgeois family in La Paz, Bolivia who watches as social change begins to penetrate their insulated world. Bolivia The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was presented to Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik; written by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini. An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her missing father while trying to keep her family intact. The World Cinema Screenwriting Award was presented to Southern District, written and directed by Juan Carlos Valdivia, about a bourgeois family in La Paz, Bolivia who watches as social change begins to penetrate their insulated world. Bolivia The Documentary Editing Award was presented to Joan Rivers-A Piece Of Work, edited by Penelope Falk; directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. An exposé chronicling the private dramas of irreverent, legendary comedian and pop icon Joan Rivers. The World Cinema Documentary Editing Award was presented to A Film Unfinished, written and directed by Yael Hersonski. Edited by Joëlle Alexis. The film is a powerful documentary about Nazi-produced propaganda films.Germany / Israel. The Excellence in Cinematography Awards honor exceptional cinematography in both dramatic and documentary categories: The Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary was presented to The Oath, directed by Laura Poitras. Cinematographers: Kirsten Johnson and Laura Poitras. The interlocking drama of two brothers-in-law whose associations with al Qaeda in the 1990s propelled them on divergent courses. The Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic was presented to Obselidia,written and directed by Diane Bell. Cinematographer: Zak Mulligan. In his quest to document nearly extinct occupations, a man unexpectedly finds romance. The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary was presented to His & Hers, directed by Ken Wardrop. Cinematographers: Kate McCullough and Michael Lavelle. A 90-year-old love story through the collective voice of 70 days at different stages of their lives. Ireland The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Dramatic was presented to The Man Next Door (El Hombre de al Lado). Directors and cinematographers Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat. A small incident over two neighbors' common wall sparks a conflict which affects the intimacy of the view over the chimney; the protagonist sparks a conflict and with paranoiac obsession destroys everyday life. Argentina A World Cinema Special Jury Prize: Dramatic for Breakout Performance was presented to Tatiana Maslany for her role as a starry-eyed teenager in Grown Up Movie Star. Canada A World Cinema Special Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Enemies of the People, directed by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, for their watershed account of Cambodian history and a quest for closure on one of the world's darkest episodes. Cambodia / United Kingdom A Special Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to GASLAND, directed by Josh Fox. With spirit, strength, and a sense of humor, Fox's personal documentary takes a look at how natural gas affects our air and drinking water. A Special Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Sympathy for Delicious, directed by Mark Ruffalo; written by and starring Christopher Thornton about a recently paralyzed DJ who seeks out the dubious world of faith healing. As announced on Tuesday, the 2010 Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking was awarded to Drunk History: Douglass & Lincoln (Director: Jeremy Konner). The 2010 Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking was given to The Six Dollar Fifty Man / New Zealand (Directors and screenwriters: Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland). In addition, the jury awarded Honorable Mentions in Short Filmmaking to: Born Sweet / USA, Cambodia (Director: Cynthia Wade);Can We Talk? / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Jim Owen); Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No / USA (Director: James Blagden); How I Met Your Father / Spain (Director and screenwriter: Álex Montoya); Quadrangle / USA (Director: Amy Grappell); Rob and Valentyna in Scotland / USA, United Kingdom (Director: Eric Lynne; Screenwriters: Eric Lynne and Rob Chester Smith), and Young Love / Australia (Director and screenwriter: Ariel Kleiman). Obselidia, written and directed by Diane Bell, is the recipient of this year's Alfred P. Sloan Prize. The Prize, which carries a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is presented to an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character. Sundance Institute and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) on Thursday announced the winners of the Sundance / NHK International Filmmakers Awards honoring and supporting emerging filmmakers-one each from the United States, Japan, Europe, and Latin America. The winning filmmakers and projects are: Amat Escalante, Heli from Mexico; Andrey Zvyagintsev, Elenafrom Russia; Daisuke Yamaoka, The Wonderful Lives at Asahigaoka (written with Yugo Eto) from Japan; and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild (written with Lucy Alibar) from the United States. 2010 Sundance Film Festival Sponsors
The 2010 Sundance Film Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors-Entertainment Weekly, HP, Honda and Sundance Channel; Leadership Sponsors-American Express, Bing™, DIRECTV, G-Technology by Hitachi, Southwest Airlines and YouTube™; Sustaining Sponsors-ABSOLUT® VODKA, Blockbuster Inc., FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, L'Oréal Paris, Sony Electronics Inc., Stella Artois®, Timberland and Utah Film Commission. Their support will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. In return, sponsorship of the preeminent Festival provides these organizations with global exposure, a platform for brand impressions and unique access to Festival attendees. About Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don't Cry and Born into Brothels. # # #
 

The deals continued to pick up at Sundance as the festival wound down. On Saturday, Roadside Attractions announced it had acquired "Winter's Bone," a drama about a teenager (Jennifer Lawrence) seeking her missing father.

“With WINTER’S BONE, Debra Granik has crafted a classic detective story, a nail-biting thriller and an unbelievably touching family drama, all in one film,” said Roadside’s Head of Acquisitions and Business Affairs, Dustin Smith. “It’s everything Sundance is about. It’s everything independent film is about. And it’s everything I go to the movies for. We cannot wait to help Debra and her team get this film in front of as many people as humanly possible.”

Roadside plans to release the film theatrically this summer, with Lionsgate handling the ancilllary markets. 

The deal was brokered by Dustin Smith and Howard Cohen for Roadside and Josh Braun and Jason Janego of Submarine Entertainment, on behalf of the filmmakers. 

Roadside paid low to mid-six figures for the US rights.

For a full update on the latest deals, read more here.

Here's the news release:

In a deal for one of Sundance’s mostcritically-acclaimed films, Roadside Attractions has acquired all North American rights to DebraGranik’s Dramatic Competition thriller WINTER’SBONE. Featuring an astonishing, star-making performance from actressJennifer Lawrence (Jodie Foster’s upcoming Mel Gibson starrer THE BEAVER), WINTER’S BONE follows 17-year-old Ree Dolly as she faces down theunforgiving Ozark wilderness and an even more hostile criminal underworld inattempt to find her missing father, who has put up the family homestead for hisbail.
 
“With WINTER’S BONE, Debra Granik hascrafted a classic detective story, a nail-biting thriller and an unbelievablytouching family drama, all in one film,” said Roadside’s Head of Acquisitionsand Business Affairs, Dustin Smith. “It’s everything Sundance is about. It’severything independent film is about. And it’s everything I go to the moviesfor. We cannot wait to help Debra and her team get this film in front of asmany people as humanly possible.”
 
Roadside plans to release the film theatrically this summer, with Lionsgatehandling all ancillaries later in the year.
 
Adapted from a novel by Missouri-based author Daniel Woodrell (Ride With the Devil), WINTER’S BONE was directed by DebraGranik, whose 2004 film Down To the Bonewon two Sundance jury prizes and launched the career of UP IN THE AIRstar Vera Farmiga. The WINTER’S BONE screenplay was adapted by Granik and Anne Rosellini,who also produced along with Alix Madigan. Executive Producers were JonathanScheuer and Shawn Simon. In addition to Jennifer Lawrence, the film alsofeatures stunning performances by John Hawkes (Me and You and Everyone We Know) and Dale Dickey (Changeling) as well as a team ofsupporting players cast directly from the Ozark region depicted in the film. WINTER’S BONE is a production ofAnonymous Content and Winter’s Bone Productions.
 
Following its Sundance launch, WINTER’SBONE will have its international premiere next month as an OfficialSelection of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. 
 
The deal wasbrokered by Dustin Smith and Howard Cohen for Roadside and Josh Braun and JasonJanego of Submarine Entertainment, on behalf of the filmmakers. 
 

 Latest deal at Sundance: 

IFC announced that it had acquired the controversial film by director Michael Winterbottom, "The Killer Inside Me."

The company released this statement on Saturday morning: 

IFC Films, one of the leading American distributors of independent and foreign films, announced today at the Sundance Film Festival it is acquiring U.S. distribution rights to Michael Winterbottom’s THE KILLER INSIDE ME.  Since its premiere on Sunday, it has become the most provocative and discussed films at this year’s festival.  Based on the novel by legendary pulp writer Jim Thompson, THE KILLER INSIDE ME stars Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Simon Baker and Bill Pullman, from a script by John Curran.  It is Winterbottom’s first foray into pure American cinema.  The film is a Hero Entertainment presentation of a Stone Canyon, Muse, Revolution production in association with Wild Bunch, Curiously Bright Entertainment and Indion Entertainment Group.  It was produced by Chris Hanely, Bradford L. Schlei, Andrew Eaton and executive produced by Jordan Gertner and Lily Bright.   THE KILLER INSIDE ME will next be screened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in February.   The deal for THE KILLER INSIDE ME was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Production for IFC Films, with Graham Taylor of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and Carole Baraton of Wild Bunch. Wild Bunch is also a co-producer on the film and handling all International Distribution.   The deal marks the second time IFC Films has worked with Winterbottom and Eaton’s Revolution Films.  This February, IFC Films is releasing the highly anticipated THE RED RIDING TRILOGY, a fictionalized account of the investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper.    THE KILLER INSIDE ME tells the story of handsome, charming, unassuming small town sheriff's deputy named Lou Ford (Casey Affleck).  The film takes place in an idyllic West Texas town in the early 1950’s.  As a lifelong resident, Ford has difficulty juggling his long-term girlfriend Amy (Kate Hudson), the prostitute named Joyce (Jessica Alba) that he mistakenly falls for, and the sociopathic tendencies inside him. In Thompson’s savage, bleak, blacker than noir universe nothing is ever what it seems.

Sundance's breakout documentary "Catfish" has been getting plenty of buzz, but not for all the right reasons.

A compelling portrait of Nev Schulman, a 24-year-old photographer who forms a relationship with a woman on Facebook before realizing that she's not the person she claims to be, the story presents a compelling portrait of the ways social networking can lead to serious miscommunication.

But while Nev’s saga turns him into a highly sympathetic character, some viewers suspect the documentary is a work of fiction, that the camera seems unusually lucky to be in the all the right places at all the right times. TheWrap sat down exclusively with the fiommakers to talk about the reaction to the film … and the complaints. At an ice cream shop on Main Street Eric Kohn spoke to Schulman (left in photo) and the film’s co-directors -- his brother Ariel (right) and Henry Joost (center) – .   Did you expect the movie to get so much attention?
Joost: When we would tell the story to people while we were making the film, they would have a very strong reaction to it, so we knew it was good. We told it to a friend after we got back from Michigan [where they travel during the movie], and he was like, "This is yours to f--- up." Basically, we had the right story and just needed to figure out how to tell it.   Much of its success comes from the element of surprise. How do you expect to keep that under wraps as its visibility increases?
Nev: I think what's making the movie successful is that the first half builds up a great expectation for the second half, but the discovery that comes after that is really what makes the film stay with people. There's a love story that's resolved, but there's another layer that's so much deeper, and that's what makes people really respond. Whether they know what they're seeing going into it doesn't change the reaction.   What about the allegations that you made the whole thing up?
Joost: It was unbelievable when it was happening to us. But it did happen; it's all totally true. The only thing we re-created were the close-ups on the computer screen. None of the scenes were staged. People are responding to how the story is so streamlined like a narrative film. We actually considered having talking heads. Ultimately, we decided we had the footage to back up this straight narrative.   Ariel: The cut we submitted to Sundance was significantly longer. The more of the footage you see, the more convinced you are that it's real. The first conversation Nev has with Megan is probably two and a half hours long, but you see less than two minutes of it in the movie. I stand by the old motto that truth is stranger than fiction. We're happy to admit that this is the result of a lot of chance and coincidence. I think it's an important story for people to hear. It was the result of a lot of strange occurrences.   Would you make that footage available to dispel allegations of falsehood?
Joost: If it came down that, we could totally prove this stuff, 100 percent.   Nev:  A big question I ask myself is, "How could I have gotten sucked into that?" I think of myself as a smart guy. I'm a New Yorker and tech-savvy, but here I was, convincing myself every day that this was real. Ariel and Henry were just along for the ride and interested in filming me because I was getting so involved. So anyone who's skeptical of whether we were skeptical is absolutely right. We were. But to include that in the film is an entirely new element that would take that story in a different direction. For the purposes of streamlining the story into something people could watch, it had to happen this way.   In the press notes, you say that you constantly document your lives, and yet there's hardly any mention of the production on your website.
Nev:We just haven't had time. We finished a few days before we got here.   Do you see this movie as a cautionary tale for people who use social networks?
Nev:  For me, it's really about vulnerability. I didn't consider myself a vulnerable person before this happened to me, and now I have to reassess how I put myself into the world.   Do you think the woman you met over Facebook is able to receive the newfound exposure that the movie might bring her?
Joost: She's open to it. She wanted to come to Sundance but just couldn't make it. We've been talking to her almost every day.   Will she speak to journalists about the movie?
Ariel: Well, she still hasn't seen the film.   Joost: I don't think it would be fair. We really want her to see it and we're arranging for that happen.   Does Facebook know about the movie?
Joost: I hope. We haven't talked to them.   Ariel: Some people from YouTube came to a screening, and they were really into it.   What sort of release do you want for the film?
Joost: We just want the most amount of people to see it. We're taking our time to find the right distributor.   Ariel: We really want it to start a conversation as globally as possible. It's a fairly universal story. Anyone can see how it relates to them.    See previous: Doubts Swirl About the Truth of 'Catfish'

Writer-director Diane Bell's "Obselidia" has been named the winner of this year's Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

The prize, which carries a $20,000 cash award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is presented to an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.

Bell's first feature follows George (Michael Piccirilli), an encyclopedia salesman, who decides to write the Obselidia, a compendium of obsolete things. As part of his attempt to document nearly extinct occupations, he befriends Sophie (Gaynor Howe), a projectionist at a silent movie theater, who believes that nothing is obsolete as long as someone loves it. Together they interview a reclusive scientist who predicts climate change will eradicate 80 percent of the world's population by 2100, forcing them to confront the question of how one lives today if the world is going to disappear tomorrow.

Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize winners include Max Mayer's "Adam," Andrucha Waddington's "The House of Sand" and Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man."

The winning film was selected by a committee of film and science professionals based on the quality of the film’s presentation of science and technology themes and/or characters. This year’s Alfred P. Sloan jury members are Peter Galison, the Joseph Pellegrino University Professor of the History of Science and of Physics at Harvard University; neuroscientist Darcy Kelley; NPR science correspondent Joe Palca; Paul Sereno, a professor at the University of Chicago and Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic; and actor-director Marianna Palka ("Good Dick").

The Alfred P. Sloan Prize is a major component of the Sundance Science-in-Film Initiative, which is made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The Initiative supports the development and exhibition of new independent film projects that explore science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers and mathematicians in engaging and innovative ways.

The Initiative presents a panel discussion at the festival that brings together scientists and filmmakers to explore compelling, contemporary issues regarding science in film.

In the Sundance Feature Film Program, the Initiative supports the Sloan Commissioning Fund, which provides resources for Initiative projects early in the development phase; and the Sloan Fellowship, which develops eligible projects at the Sundance Feature Film Labs toward production. This Initiative blends the Sloan Foundation’s goal of enhancing public understanding of science and technology with Sundance Institute’s mission to foster independent voices and compelling storytelling in film.