Sundance Update: Deals and Dakota

Deals
Murdered movie director Adrienne Shelley's Waitress sold to Fox Searchlight for $4M. With relief, Premiere Magazine gave the film their seal of approval, calling it "a delight, a refreshing comedy that mixes a bunch of familiar ingredients in offbeat ways that pay off every time."  In big spending mode, Fox Searchlight also bought the New York drama Joshua for a hearty $5M, the story of the quintessential well-to-do New York City family whose perfect lives fall apart - in a scary way.

Still shopping, Fox Searchlight Pictures teamed with The Weinstein Company making a joint deal for the worldwide distribution rights to La Misma Luna, the directorial debut feature from Patricia Riggen. The film tells parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario, who works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico.

Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman's documentary Nanking, a recounting of the Japanese invasion of the Chinese city, was acquired by Fortissimo Films. Cherie Nowlan's Clubland was snapped up by Warner Independent Pictures. 

Dakota
The controversy over the "Dakota Fanning Rape Project" is dying down now that the film has actually been screened. The verdict: it's no kiddie porn. In fact, twelve-year-old Fanning said that the complaints about Hounddog have caused her far more distress than the rape scene itself.  Director Deborah Kampmeier filmed the close-ups of her face alone, with the direction: "Hold your breath, wait, now gasp," Fanning explained to USA today. David Hudson at GreenCine has a roundup of incoming reactions and reviews.