By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
ITL (In The Loop) To IFC For Under $1 Million (news)
By Gregg Goldstein
IFC Films has nabbed all US rights to the James Gandolfini-toplined political satire In The Loop in a just-under $1 million deal. It debuts tonight at the Eccles in the Sundance Premieres section.
Loop is the latest case of a slow Sundance sales market putting a seller known for low-budget buys on the same playing field with bigger distribs, and producers accepting the day-and-date model to deliver a film in theaters and on VOD simultaneously. It’s one of IFC’s biggest buys since launching its IFC In Theaters program, and the distrib plans a 2009 release.
Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, Mimi Kennedy, David
Rasche, Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky and Steve Coogan also star in the satire of British and US governments as they ramp up to a Middle Eastern war. British comedy writer Armando
Iannucci helmed the film, which has similar themes and writers with his BBC TV series “In The Thick of It.”
Buyers got a look at the film in select screenings before the fest, and after its Monday press and industry screening, five buyers had made offers.
Sellers Cassian Elwes of William Morris Independent and Ben Roberts of Protagonist Pictures, who repped the film on behalf of BBC Films, Aramid Capital and UK Film Council, are still fielding deals for Canada and other territories.
“We are going to celebrate tonight,” said IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring. “In The Loop is one of those rare movies that you know is destined to be a classic. Its going to do incredibly well on all of our platforms.”
The deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco and Betsy Rodgers for IFC Films.