New York, July 24, 2000 – Independent Digital Entertainment (InDigEnt), the digital initiative created by director Gary Winick ("The Tic Code"), John Sloss and IFC Productions, announces the completion of principal photography of its first four films-Campbell Scott’s "Final," Ethan Hawke’s "Last Word on Paradise," Bruce Wagner’s "Women in Film" and Richard Linklater’s "Tape"-and the beginning of its next production-Rodrigo Garcia’s "Women Remember Men." Sloss is currently in advanced negotiations with theatrical distributors on the slate.
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"Final," follows Bill (Denis Leary) after he wakes up in a spare hospital room. He believes he is being prepared for his "final injection" by the government of 2399 and Ann (Hope Davis), his doctor, tries to reassure him and get at the root of his madness. In this psychological game of cat-and-mouse, the question remains for Bill: will Ann help him find his sanity or will she be holding the needle that does him in? "Final" was produced by Mary Francis Budig.
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"Last Word on Paradise," directed by Ethan Hawke, stars Kevin Corrigan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Sean Leonard, Natasha Richardson, Uma Thurman, Tuesday Weld, Frank Whaley and Steve Zahn. Based on the play "Chelsea Walls" by Nicole Burdette, the film follows the contemporary residents of New York’s famed Chelsea Hotel, capturing a mosaic of dreamers and artists. The film shot for three weeks on location at the famed hotel and was produced by Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler of Killer Films.
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"Women in Film," directed by Bruce Wagner, stars Beverly D’Angelo, Portia De Rossi and Marianne Jean-Baptiste as women of the film industry who are desperately searching for their place in Hollywood. Phyllis (D’Angelo) is an independent producer who is having difficulty getting her latest project together; Sara (Jean-Baptiste) is a casting director who is taking time out to care for her blind newborn baby; and Gina (De Rossi) is a masseuse who claims to have had every idea she’s ever had stolen by those around her. "Women in Film" is both a satire of the film industry and a celebration of women, produced by Pam Koffler and Christine Vachon of Killer Films.
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In "Tape," directed by Richard Linklater, Vin (Ethan Hawke), travels back home to Lansing for a film festival and meets up with an old friend Jon (Robert Sean Leonard). Vin is still bitter about Jon stealing his high school girlfriend Amy (Uma Thurman) and can’t forget his greatest betrayal-Jon may have raped Amy. Jon and Vin play a tug-of-war of words all night in an old hotel room, all of which Vin captures on tape. Just as the situation reaches a frenzied pitch, Amy arrives to recount her side of the story. The film was produced by Anne Walker and Detour Filmproduction.
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"Women Remember Men," directed by Rodrigo Garcia ("Things You Can Tell By Looking at Her"), is a series of monologues where eleven women talk about the man they remember most-the man who last loved them, the man who left them, the man who wasn’t enough, the man who was too cruel, the man who is only a distant memory, the man who passed away, the man they married and the man they sent away. The film presents an honest portrait of women, where memories are the only connection to the man that touched their lives. Garcia is currently in advanced casting discussions with several top female actresses.
Inspired by the spirit of the Danish collective Dogme95 and John Cassavetes, InDigEnt is exploring the world of digital cinema, drawing on established screenwriters, directors and actors. These InDigEnt filmmakers agree to work within a framework of budgetary and technical limitations in exchange for an innovative financial structure-the entire filmmaking team, from director, to actors, to grips share 50% of all revenue generated from the first dollar, creating the truest partnership yet in filmmaking.
The InDigEnt team consists of: Gary Winick and Alexis Alexanian, who oversee all productions through the InDigEnt office; Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Films, and Caroline Kaplan, Vice President of Film & Program Development, who oversee production at IFC Films; John Sloss, a partner in InDigEnt; and Paul Brennan of Sloss Special Projects who serves in a supervisory capacity. Ellen Lewis, Marcia DeBonis and Jennifer Euston oversee casting. Ira Spiegel and Marlena Grzasiewicz of 701 Sound do the sound work with Sound One and The Orphanage does the digital effects and graphic design on all InDigEnt films. InDigEnt also works with Alan Oxman who supervises the editing at the Edit Center.
InDigEnt is an ongoing production series with talks in progress on additional projects. While it is anticipated that a number of InDigEnt films may receive festival or theatrical exposure, in time they will be collected as a series to premiere on the Independent Film Channel.
Gary Winick recently directed "The Tic Code," starring Polly Draper and Gregory Hines which is set for release on August 4th through Lions Gate Films. Winick previously directed "Sweet Nothing" starring Mira Sorvino and Michael Imperioli, "Out of the Rain" starring Bridget Fonda and Michael O’Keefe and the horror film "Curfew." He recently completed post-production on "Sam the Man," a DV feature, starring Fisher Stevens, Annabella Sciorra, Maria Bello, Rob Morrow and Ron Rifkin.
Alexis Alexanian brings the experience of over 15 studio feature films to her work as an InDigEnt producer. She has worked in production on films including "Mississippi Burning," "Jacob’s Ladder," "A League of Their Own" and "Striptease."
IFC Productions is a subsidiary of IFC Films, the production entity of the Independent Film Channel, managed and operated by Bravo Networks. It is the first channel dedicated to independent film, presented 24 hours a day, uncut and commercial-free. The Independent Film Channel, reaching more than 35 million homes on a full-time basis, is the most widely distributed channel dedicated to independent film on television. Jonathan Sehring (President IFC Films) and Caroline Kaplan (Vice President, Film & Program Development, IFC Films) the film’s executive producers, have overseen projects such as Bravo’s Emmy-nominated series "Inside the Actors Studio" as well as the network’s Cable Ace Award-winning series "The South Bank Show," as well as the IFC’s Cable Ace Award-winning profile of Sam Fuller, "The Typewriter, The Rifle & The Movie Camera," and the channel’s other original documentaries.
IFC Productions has produced or co-produced a number of feature films including: Karyn Kusama’s "Girlfight" (winner of the Director’s Prize and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival), Brad Anderson’s "Happy Accidents," Tom Gilroy’s "Spring Forward," Jim McKay’s "Our Song," Kimberly Peirce’s Academy Award winning "Boys Don’t Cry," Errol Morris’ "Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," John Sayles’ "Men With Guns" and Steven Soderbergh’s "Gray’s Anatomy."
Sloss Special Projects, headed by John Sloss, specializes in producer representation and securing financing for packaged motion picture projects. Recent projects have included: Michael Almereyda’s "Hamlet," Chris Smith’s "American Movie," Kimberly Peirce’s "Boys Don’t Cry," Frangois Girard’s "The Red Violin," Bruce McCullouch’s "Dog Park," Don McKellar’s "Last Night," Marc Levin’s "Slam" and his upcoming "Whiteboys," Scott Ziehl’s "Broken Vessels," Brad Anderson’s "Next Stop Wonderland" and "Happy Accidents," Eric Mendelsohn’s "Judy Berlin," Kevin Smith’s "Chasing Amy," Errol Morris’ "Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," Michael Almereyda’s "Hamlet," Whit Stillman’s "The Last Days of Disco," Adam Bernstein’s "Six Ways to Sunday," Victor Nunez’s "Ulee’s Gold," Richard Linklater’s "Before Sunrise" and "The Newton Boys," and John Sayles’ "Men With Guns."
Contact:
Reid Rosefelt/Sara Finmann
Magic Lantern, Inc.
(212) 586-7233