On Friday night the Glenwild clubhouse was filled with documentary filmmakers more than willing to talk about their upcoming projects.

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady ("Boys of Baraka," "Jesus Camp"), have been tapped to help adapt non-fiction bestseller "Freakonomics" into a feature doc. "A tough job," admitted Ewing.

Ross Kauffman (Oscar winner for "Born into Brothels", is headed to Tanzania to look at child trafficking. Tiffany Schlain ("The Tribe, "Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness"), was in town to raise funds for a doc linking hot-button political issues. Working title: "A Declaration of Interdependence."

Perhaps the least high-minded but likely most lucrative project is R.J. Cutler's ("The War Room," "30 Days"). Cutler just signed on for a new CBS reality show, "American Dog." "People have special relationships with their dogs," said a bespectacled Cutler.

"I don't do much with the networks, but I'm looking forward to it," he said, explaining that the show will be "American Idol" meets 'Best in Show." Does Cutler himself have a special canine relationship of his own?

"No," he said, and moved on to grab a drink at the bar.
---Julie Checkoway

Labels: documentaries, dogs, Heidi Ewing, R.J. Cutler, reality t.v.

"Variety" is reporting that, even though the 2008 Festival is only hours old, there have been several under-the-radar and before-the-premieres acquisitions, both of films and companies. The first film sale is Zeitgeist Film's purchase of Yung Chang's documentary "Up the Yangtze,. The second is HBO's acquisition of "Black List," a documentary featuring discussions of race with Sean Combs, Chris Rock, and other prominent African-Americans. HBO's Sheila Nevins is arriving at Sundance with fewer properties of her own in the festival this year, (Lisa F. Jackson's "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo is an HBO-funded film), so Nevins is likely in a buying mood. In feature sales, the only breaking news is an international theatrical sale for Lance Hammer's "Ballast," which is premiering here in the feature competition. Celluloid Dreams picked up the rights to "Ballast" with William Morris agenting. In other interesting industry news out of Park City tonight, Imdb.com, the industry's informational website, has purchased the innovative festival website Without-A-Box, which has been for several years the most streamlined means for filmmakers to submit content to festivals worldwide. Imdb.com will clearly benefit from Without-A-Box's database, access, and content.
Julie Checkoway

Labels: documentaries, HBO, sales, Sundance