Gary Hustwit, director of the sensationally popular documentary Helvetica (which premiered at SXSW 2007), has announced his next project, Objectified. Silicon Alley Insider reports that it will be “a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability. It’s about our relationship to mass-produced objects and, by extension, the people who design them.” Sounds promising and perfect, for the Helvetica faithful. Can’t wait.
Documentary filmmaking couple David Redmon and Ashely Sabin (Mardi Gras: Made in China, Kamp Katrina, Intimidad) are launching their own DVD label. They’re calling it Carnivalesque Films, named after their production company, and they are set to release more than just their own films. Mardi Gras: Made in China will be the first release, coming to retailers on July 29. Following that, Ry Russo-Young’s acclaimed fiction feature Orphans, will have its DVD release on September 28. Stay tuned for more titles, and more details, to come.
indieWIRE reports that upstart New York distribution company Elephant Eye Films has acquired rights to two SXSW 2007 world premieres: Michael Jacobs’ documentary, Audience Of One, and Nate Meyer’s narrative feature, Frat Girl (formerly titled Pretty in the Face). See these films when they hit theaters! According to the report, the films will be represented by Elephant Eye at the Cannes Market starting this week. Congrats all around!
Joe Swanberg’s Hannah Takes the Stairs is now available on DVD (with the popular SXSW 2007 Hannah trailers as “extras”). Like many DVD releases, the artwork for the DVD box is very different than the one-sheet poster used for the film’s theatrical release. A few people have noted that the image used on the Hannah DVD gives a very different vibe than the one-sheet. Personally, I think the DVD cover does its job: if you’re walking around Blockbuster and you’re looking for a good romantic drama, Hannah will look like it delivers. The DVD art resembles the kind of 1990s romantic-comedy DVD boxes we got with angst/romance films such as Kicking & Screaming or Reality Bites, and that’s good company to be in if you ask me. That said, Hannah Takes the Stairs co-star Kent Osborne has a few things to say about the new DVD art (which features him on the far right):
this is the DUMBEST cover ever! this picture says NOTHING about the movie. (for those who haven’t seen it, the movie is about a young woman who dates three different guys) this picture makes it look like it’s about two girls and a guy who are all friends, and then there’s this OTHER weird guy who wants to be in their club and he ends up killing them.
Doug Pray’s trucker documentary, Big Rig, will finally have its national release with some very appropriate bells and whistles. The documentary, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2007, is already available as a VOD title at truck stops (courtesy of IdleAire Technology). Starting June 3, the DVD of the film will be available wherever DVDs are sold, and especially at truck stops. Meanwhile, Sirius Satellite Radio and IdleAire are sponsoring an American tour of screenings, kicking of June 4 in Foristell, MO. Click here for more details.
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