Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin (“Social Network”) will adapt “Steve Jobs,” Walter Isaacson’s bestselling biography of the late Apple co-founder.

Scott Rudin will produce with Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady.

Published late last year, “Steve Jobs” was Amazon’s best-selling book of 2011, selling more than 2.2 million hardcover copies.

“Steve Jobs was one of the most revolutionary and influential men not just of our time, but of all time,” said Amy Pascal, co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “There is no writer working in Hollywood today who is more capable of capturing such an extraordinary life for the screen than Aaron Sorkin; in his hands, we’re confident that the film will be everything that Jobs himself was: captivating, entertaining, and polarizing.”

Sorkin, who earned an Oscar for adapting Ben Mezrich’s Facebook tome “The Accidental Billionaires,” previously wrote “Moneyball” for the studio. His other feature credits include “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The American President” and “A Few Good Men,” as well as “Malice.”

Sorkin is also planning to adapt “The Politician,” Andrew Young’s bestselling book about former Senator John Edwards, which Sorkin will also produce and direct.

He’s also developing a Broadway musical about legendary magician Harry Houdini, with Hugh Jackman slated to star in the play, which will debut next year.

Sorkin’s new TV series, “The Newsroom,” premieres on HBO on June 24.

The North African nation of Wadiya has the potential to be the next Duba–if it weren’t for the crushing poverty, lack of refinement and the man who rules from his inherited throne—General Haffaz Aladeen.

“He has lost the legitimacy to rule,” President Obama of the United States has gone on record as saying. “He must step down.”

On the verge of being officially sanctioned by the United Nations, the General has announced his first trip to the U.S. to address these insults, slanders and charges.

“It is outrageous to call me a dictator. I am the undemocratically elected leader of my people. Actually, my full title is Admiral General Aladeen, Supreme Leader, Chief Ophthalmologist, Invincible, All Triumphant, Beloved Oppressor of the People of Wadiya…and excellent swimmer, including butterfly. I have 118 PhDs, and a diploma in spray tanning from the Qatar Community College.”

Writer/performer/filmmaker Sacha Baron Cohen has made a living out of culture clash. Whether as a British Jamaican-wannabe rapper slash chat show host, a somewhat naïve Kazakhstani television reporter or an out and relatively out there Austrian fashionista, Baron Cohen is in the business of finding humor and revelation in the often uncomfortable collision of vastly differing viewpoints and lifestyles. His stupendously and deservedly popular British television series made its wildfire way to the British movie screen. His subsequent and unstoppable transition to Hollywood was made in a film helmed by director Larry Charles, who again collaborated with Baron Cohen on his follow-up project (and now, once again, with The Dictator).

Larry Charles comments, “When we did Brüno, we were shocked because we had thought that after Borat, we’d never get away with it again. And then we put Sacha into the Brüno make-up, the hair and the outfits, and we went around Los Angeles with him—we kept thinking that we were going to get busted in two seconds. But generally speaking, nobody recognized him. He looked so different—and there’s a fascinating psychological component to all of this. It’s like when people are eyewitnesses to crimes, but it turns out that what they saw is not actually what happened. People don’t look as closely at things as you might think. And when someone like Brüno is walking around the street, they tend to not look him in the eye; they don’t want to look at him too closely. So, we took advantage of that, and insinuated Brüno into all of those situations without ever being discovered.”

Co-star Jason Mantzoukas remembers the effect Da Ali G Show had on him and his friends: “A friend of mine sent me this show from the U.K., and told me that we had to watch it…and we became obsessed with it. It was the idea at the time, which was quite novel and amazing, to be playing a fictional character within real life, in the real world. It was hilarious to us, going after those politicians as Ali G. I thought those were amazing. And then he subsequently followed that up on a continually larger scale. It’s really evident that the ethos of Sacha Baron Cohen is unrelenting commitment to a character.”

Going in with the character of General Aladeen, however, was to be a different experience, and the ‘real’ world was to be replaced with a facsimile of a real, scripted world—however, just outside of the borders of this fictitious North African country, a real world waits…

Baron Cohen’s prescience with regard to story and character proved preternatural – as work on The Dictator started in earnest months before the first demonstrations in the Middle East began a chain reaction of unrest, and long before the world had ever heard of (or used the phrase) “Arab Spring.”

Larry Charles states, “This movie really began more than two years ago. The fact that the Arab Spring emerged as we were making the movie did affect us, with regard to locations and shooting schedule. But here we were, developing this project, and then to watch it happening on the news was uncanny.”

As usual for Baron Cohen, the character also needed to be grounded in truth. During the early stages of development, General Aladeen (Baron Cohen in full costume) was placed in several interview situations with people unaware of the ruse, and the resulting discussions were recorded. Larry Charles says, “Again, we were able to get away with it. It gave Sacha a chance to play with the character and interact in a spontaneous, improvised way. But we knew going in that this was to be a scripted film, that it would be ‘unrealistic,’ as it were, to try and do it the other way—there was too much story, too many other characters, too many others aspects that had to be serviced. Throughout the process, however, we tried to maintain the same edge as in those earlier projects.”

The differences in the project intrigued both Baron Cohen and the director. Charles again: “There are a lot of layers to it. There’s a political layer to this movie that talks about the modern, real politics of the world with a very unique point of view. And we’re using that to question very basic assumptions about our society—what is democracy? what is a country? When you have large countries being dominated by corporate interests, lobbyists, those kinds of influences, what do the borders of our country mean? Is there an America? or is America just a brand? Is ‘democracy’ just a word? What does ‘dictatorship’ ultimately mean? What system is the best for people? and what system ultimately works? There is suffering in all political systems, so we examine how the media covers these stories, these themes and these issues. So we were able to deal with all of these things in an intentional way that gives the movie many layers beyond the story itself, and it delivers as a comedy. We believe it’s as funny as the other movies, if not funnier.”
“Larry Charles is a guy walking the tightrope,” says Academy Award®-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, “because any great comedy is all about taste. You have to have men of great taste and intelligence on the set who know exactly how far we can push any given envelope: when to retreat, when to charge forward again. Larry and Sacha are very fine generals.”

Among the many charges being leveled at Aladeen are accusations of hostility toward neighboring nations. “I am not hostile. My country has existed for over seven million years, ever since the dinosaurs were wiped out by the Zionists. And during that whole time, we have never attacked another nation, unless it was an emergency or we were really bored. But who cares about the past? This is about the future,” he hisses beneath his Versace sunglasses.

AMC Networks has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to “On the Road,” Walter Salles’ adaptation of the Beat Generation tome by Jack Kerouac

It will be released jointly by the company’s film distribution labels IFC Films and Sundance Selects sometime this fall.

Sundance Selects/IFC Films plans a traditional theatrical roll-out, and will handle all downstream platforms. Starring Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley and Kirsten Dunst, “On the Road” will world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, which starts next week.

The deal represents the largest acquisition yet for Sundance/IFC. Parent company AMC Networks plans to use all its platforms–AMC, We TV and Sundance Channel–to promote the picture.
Based on a screenplay by Jose Rivera, the MK2 Production was produced by Nathanael Karmitz, Charles Gillibert, Rebecca Yeldham and Roman Coppola for American Zoetrope. Executive producer is Francis Ford Coppola, who bought rights to “On the Road” in 1980.

A buyers’ screening in late February failed to attract a high-profile distributor, which may have had as much to do with the asking price (rumored to be high seven figures) as Salles’ approach to the book.
Multiple people who have seen the film agreed that it contains noteworthy performances and cinematography, but add that its two-hours-plus length and nebulous narrative make it a challenge to market to mainstream audiences.

But Kerouac fans will be eager to check out the “On the Road’s” first-ever big-screen adaptation. And “Twilight” devotees have been constantly buzzing about Kristen Stewart’s role as Mary Lou
The $25 million picture was shot in late 2010 in New Orleans, Montreal, Mexico and Argentina.

MK2, which is handling foreign sales, has already sold “On the Road” in several offshore territories, with more deals expected after the screenings in Cannes.

The Disney Studios announced today that Marvel’s The Avengers posted an estimated $200.3 million in its domestic debut May 4-6, shattering previous records and positioning the film as the highest-grossing domestic debut of all time.

The film’s cumulative global box office gross is an estimated $641.8 million over 12 days in release.

In just three days, Marvel’s the Avengers is the fastest movie to reach $200 million domestically. The domestic debut kicked off Friday, May 4 and marks the second highest single day take of all time at $80.5 million. Saturday’s box office gross of $69.7 million is the highest Saturday take of all time. Moviegoers gave Marvel’s The Avengers a rare and perfect A+ CinemaScore.

Marvel’s The Avengers began opening internationally April 25 and crossed the $600 million mark globally May 6 after just 12 days in release.

International box office highlights include:
Opened May 3 in Russia with $17.9 million, the biggest Marvel opening weekend ever
Opened May 5 in China with $17.4 million
Biggest opening weekend of all time in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Central America, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Philippines

Marvel’s The Avengers has now opened in all major markets except Israel, Poland, and Japan.

The film’s success comes a month after Marvel and Disney announced that a sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger will be released April 4, 2014.

A sequel to last summer’s Thor is scheduled for release November 15, 2013.

The third installment of the hit Iron Man series, which has earned over $1.2 billion worldwide, will arrive in theaters May 3, 2013.

Marvel’s The Avengers is the first Marvel Studios film to be marketed and distributed by The Walt Disney Studios.

Exceeding all early predictions, Marvel’s “The Avengers” earned $80.5 million at the domestic box-office. Friday, May 4, 2012, the second highest domestic opening day gross of all time behind “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.”

This figure includes an $18.7 million Thursday midnight take.

Internationally, the highly anticipated, well-reviewed actioner has already earned $414.8 million, the highest international gross for a Marvel feature. This frame should mark a significant boost in that figure with the picture opening in such huge overseas markets as China and Russia (“Avengers” opened in 39 int’l markets last week).

The “Harry Potter” conclusion is outpacing “Avengers” by $10.5 million, and while it likely won’t upset that record-holding order by Sunday, it stands a good chance of outperforming “The Dark Knight,” current second placer with $158.4 million.
The key will be appealing outside of fanboy communities, which “Avengers” is capable of with kid favorite characters like the Hulk, and on repeat business from avid enthusiasts. And with 77% of screens playing the pic in 3D, it should see a healthy boost from the format.

On Friday, 3D constituted 60% of “Avengers’” take. Additionally, the actioner is seeing an even split between audiences older and younger than 25, with almost two-thirds of viewers male. The movie received an A+ Cinemascore.

Will Marvel’s The Avengers take down “Harry Potter” as the all-time biggest opening in American film history?

Predictions for “Avengers” have ranged widely over the past few weeks, from $140 million to $170 million.

A three-figure domestic opening will put “Avengers” in good company, as only 20 films have ever crossed the $100 million opening threshold domestically, including the all-time record holder, last year’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” with $169.2 million.

It’s possible for “Avengers” to rival “Harry Potter,” but it’ll depend on how much repeat business the Disney tentpole sees on Saturday and Sunday, as well as just how far the film reaches beyond fan boys.

Even with more than 1,000 showtimes sold out in advanced ticket sales, “The Avengers” still trails “Harry Potter”–even “The Hunger Games,” which opened to $152 million–according to Fandango. That’s still better than any other Marvel property, however.

The film cost $220 million, excluding marketing, and has grossed more than $280 million internationally through May 2. This performance is better than “Captain America: The First Avenger” ($192 million), “Iron Man” ($267 million) and “Thor” ($268 million).

Disney launched the film a week before the U.S. in 39 international territories, with China and Russia set to go this weekend. Japan is dated for August.

Domestically, “The Avengers” bows at 4,349 locations, the seventh-largest Stateside bow ever (“Twilight: Eclipse” still is No. 1 at 4,468).

“The Avengers” also has 3,364 3D locations, including 275 digital-only Imax runs. Industry experts have reported that more than 47% of its “Avengers” presales came from viewers wanting to see the film in 3D.

The Los Angeles Film Festival, with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced the Closing Night film and official US and international selections for the 2012 Festival.

Guest Director, Artists in Residence and Conversations with special guests will be announced later this month.

The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of nearly 200 feature films, short films, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, music events and more.

As previously announced, Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love will be Opening Night, sponsored by Virgin America, and Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild were selected for the Galas section.

Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.A. LIVE for a third year, the Festival will run from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24. Now in its eighteenth year, the Festival is widely recognized as a showcase of new American and international cinema. It is produced by Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards.

“There is nothing more satisfying than shining a spotlight on so many unique films from both seasoned and emerging filmmakers. Come experience the wonder of Beasts of the Southern Wild, let Call Me Kuchu break your heart and call you to action, or simply be entertained by Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike,” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain. “These are just a few of the diverse stories that bring us into new worlds or put a fresh twist on familiar ones. ‘Exclusively for Everyone’ isn’t just a tag line. It’s an invitation to experience both the specific and the universal, and hopefully come away entertained and enlightened. Enjoy!”

“We’ve got a marvelous mix this year that reflects the incredible diversity of world cinema and of Los Angeles itself. I’m excited to have such giants as Woody Allen, Steven Soderbergh and André Téchiné alongside some amazing first-time filmmakers whose names you’ll be hearing a lot in the future. We want to offer festival-goers stories and visions they haven’t seen before and a chance to meet the most creative minds working in movies. It’s going to be a fun and mind-expanding ten days,” said Festival Artistic Director David Ansen.

The Festival will end its festivities with the World Premiere of Warner’s Magic Mike, directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Reid Carolin and starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Matt Bomer, Riley Keough, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias. Set in the world of male strippers, the dramatic comedy follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film nationwide on June 29, 2012.

Dreamworks Pictures’ People Like Us will have its World Premiere amongst the Summer Showcase screenings. The film is directed by Alex Kurtzman, written by Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert, and stars Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michael Hall D’Addario, Philip Baker Hall, Mark Duplass and Michelle Pfeiffer. In a story inspired by true events, Sam (Pine), a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, is tasked with fulfilling his estranged father’s last wishes—delivering an inheritance to a sister he never knew he had. Dreamworks Pictures will release the film on June 29, 2012.

As part of the Los Angeles Film Festival’s free outdoor programming, there will be a Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long at California Plaza on June 22 at 7pm to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film. Produced in cooperation with Dance Camera West and Grand Performances, there will be free salsa lessons by Contra-Tiempo, a screening of the film with special guests and a shadow cast consisting of performers from local dance companies to dance on stage below the screening during key scenes.

This year, the Festival received 5,283 submissions from filmmakers around the world, compared to 5,025 last year. The final selections represent 30 World, North American and US premieres, which includes premiere status for films previously announced. 19 of the premieres are in the Narrative and Documentary Competition sections.

Passes are currently on sale to Film Independent members and the general public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning May 29. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com.

For the seventh year, the Los Angeles Times will serve as the Festival’s Presenting Media Sponsor and will once again produce the Official Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations and related special events. The Film Guide will top the paper on Sunday, June 10 in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout downtown Los Angeles during the ten-day event.

Narrative Competition (10):

The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Filmmaker Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature or Best International Feature.
All Is Well, Pocas Pascoal – Portugal – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Breakfast with Curtis, Laura Colella – WORLD PREMIERE
The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man, Arturo Pons – Mexico – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Crazy and Thief, Cory McAbee – NORTH PREMIERE
Dead Man’s Burden, Jared Moshé – WORLD PREMIERE
Four, Joshua Sanchez – WORLD PREMIERE
A Night Too Young, Olmo Omerzu – Czech Republic – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Pincus, David Fenster – WORLD PREMIERE
Red Flag, Alex Karpovsky – WORLD PREMIERE
Thursday till Sunday, Dominga Sotomayor – Chile – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (9):

The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Documentary Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature or Best International Feature.
25 to Life, Mike Brown – WORLD PREMIERE
A Band Called Death, Jeff Howlett, Mark Covino – WORLD PREMIERE
Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives, Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore – WORLD PREMIERE
Call Me Kuchu, Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall – US PREMIERE
Drought, Everado González – Mexico – US PREMIERE
The Iran Job, Till Schauder – USA/Germany/Iran – WORLD PREMIERE
Sun Kissed, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy – WORLD PREMIERE
Vampira and Me, R. H. Greene – WORLD PREMIERE
Words of Witness, Mai Iskander – Egypt/USA – US PREMIERE

International Showcase (15):

The International Showcase highlights innovative independent narrative and documentary features from outside of the United States. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.
Bestiaire, Denis Côté – Canada
Bunohan: Return to Murder, Dain Said – Malaysia (Oscilloscope Pictures)
Canícula, José Álvarez – Mexico
The First Man, Gianni Amelio – France – US PREMIERE
The Last Elvis, Armando Bo – Argentina
Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho – Brazil (The Cinema Guild)
On the Edge, Leila Kilani – France/Morocco/Germany
P-047, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee – Thailand
Return to Burma, Midi Z. – Taiwan/Myanmar
Sister, Ursula Meier – Switzerland (Adopt Films) – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
The Strawberry Tree, Simone Rapisarda Casanova – Canada/Cuba/Italy
Summer Games, Rolando Colla – Switzerland
Teddy Bear, Mads Matthiesen – Denmark (Film Movement)
Unforgivable, André Téchiné – France (Strand Releasing)
Without Gorky, Cosima Spender – UK

Summer Showcase (16):

The Summer Showcase section offers an advance look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases from the festival circuit. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.
About Face, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (HBO Films)
Beauty Is Embarrassing, Neil Berkeley
Big Easy Express, Emmett Malloy
Celeste and Jesse Forever, Lee Toland Krieger (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gayby, Jonathan Lisecki (Wolfe Releasing)
Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon (IFC Films)
The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki
It’s a Disaster, Todd Berger – WORLD PREMIERE
La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus, Mark Kendall – USA/Guatemala
Neil Young Journeys, Jonathan Demme (Sony Pictures Classics)
An Oversimplification of her Beauty, Terence Nance – USA/France
People Like Us, Alex Kurtzman (Dreamworks Pictures) – WORLD PREMIERE
The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield (Magnolia Pictures)
Reportero, Bernardo Ruiz
Robot and Frank, Jake Schreier (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul (Sony Pictures Classics)

Community Screenings (6):

These films will be presented free to the public. New films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature or Best Documentary Feature.
Dirty Dancing (1987), Emile Ardolino – Grand Performances Screening
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Steven Spielberg – FIGat7th Screening
G-Dog, Freida Mock – WORLD PREMIERE
The Invisible War, Kirby Dick (Cinedigm)
LUV, Sheldon Candis – Project Involve Screening (Indomina)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Nicholas Meyer – FIGat7th Screening

The Beyond (3):

The Beyond offers films that dare to be different. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature or Best Narrative Feature.
The History of Future Folk, J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker – WORLD PREMIERE
Juan of the Dead, Alejandro Brugués – Cuba
Saturday Morning Massacre, Spencer Parsons – WORLD PREMIERE

Retro (3):
Ballads, Blues and Bluegrass (1961), Alan Lomax – WORLD PREMIERE
Banishment (2007), Andrey Zvyagintsev – Russia – LAFCA’s The Film That Got Away
The Breaking Point (1950), Michael Curtiz – Film Foundation Screening

Short Films (48): Shorts are shown before features and as part of four short film programs. With their diverse and complex content, these films shine brilliantly. Most short films, domestic and international, will compete for prizes in Narrative, Documentary, and Animation/Experimental categories. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. An Audience Award for Best Short Film is also presented.
Shorts Program 1-4

Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (31): These two programs of shorts are made by high school students from around the country, featuring work by the next generation of filmmakers.
Programs 1-2

Music Videos (40):

The Music Video Showcase consists of two programs. Eclectic Mix is a visual mix tape of this year’s best independent music videos with a few innovative major label artists thrown in for good measure. As a Special Focus, DANIELS and Walter Robot go head to head in an event peppered with music videos, shorts, production secrets, feats of strength, audience challenges and possible mime. Music videos will compete for an Audience Award.
Eclectic Mix 1
Thunderdome: DANIELS vs Walter Robot

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its eighteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival, supported by L.A. LIVE and The Los Angeles Times, is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.

The Festival features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, Music Events and more. Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos.

Nearly 200 features, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, make up the main body of the Festival.

The Festival hosts juried cash awards for best narrative and documentary features, best narrative, documentary and animated short film, and a jury award for best performance in the narrative competition. Audience awards are also presented to best documentary, narrative and international feature, short film and music video.

The Los Angeles Film Festival is presented in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, Principal and Opening Night Sponsor Virgin America and Platinum sponsors Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group and EFILM and Nokia. Special support is provided by FOCUS FORWARD – a partnership between GE and CINELAN, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Official Screening Venue is Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14. The Los Angeles Athletic Club is the Official Host Hotel and Virgin America is the Official Airline Partner. WireImage is the Official Photography Agency and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent.

More information can be found at www.LAFilmFest.com

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT
Film Independent is a non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional, or a film lover.

Film Independent produces the Spirit Awards, the annual celebration honoring artist-driven films and recognizing the finest achievements of American independent filmmakers. Film Independent also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, showcasing the best of American and international cinema and the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, a year-round, weekly program that offers unique cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public.

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent’s Artist Development program offers free Labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and presents year-round networking opportunities. Project:Involve is Film Independent’s signature program dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

ABOUT L.A. LIVE
L.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports & entertainment district adjacent to STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center featuring Club Nokia, a 2,300 capacity live music venue, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, a 7,100-seat live theatre, a 54-story, 1001-room convention “headquarters” destination (featuring The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE hotels and 224 luxury condominiums – The Ritz Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE – all in a single tower), the GRAMMY Museum, the 14-screen Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 theatre, “broadcast” facilities for ESPN along with entertainment, residential, restaurant and office space.
Visit L.A. LIVE today at www.lalive.com

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.9 million and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 17 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 130 years.

The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates also include The Envelope, Times Community News, LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine and Hoy Los Angeles which, combined with the flagship Los Angeles Times, reach approximately 5.1 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News as well as Tribune Direct’s west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country’s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at http://latimes.com/aboutus.

The first-ever Sundance London film and music festival came to a close last night, capping off four days of film screenings and music performances hosted by Robert Redford, Sundance Enterprises, Sundance Institute and AEG Europe, with the support of Presenting Partner Sony Entertainment Network.

The festival closed with an intimate performance by Rufus and Martha Wainwright following the World Premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, Lian Lunson’s film about the music of their mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle.

Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute, said: “Sundance London marked our first time hosting an event in the UK, and we are grateful to all our supporters and collaborators for the reception we received. These four days have seen features, documentaries and live events with insightful filmmakers and musicians, as well as passionate audiences in attendance.”

Alex Hill, Chief Finance and Strategy Officer of AEG Europe, owner and operator of The O2, adds: “The feedback to our hosting Sundance London has been terrific. We set out to bring a slice of the Sundance Film Festival to London and if the audiences’ positive reaction is anything to go by, there’s obviously a real appetite for this kind of festival in the UK. The unique content of Sundance London, featuring a stunning film programme, amazing music performances and discussion panels, has brought new audiences to The O2 and allowed us to showcase the venue as a truly multi-purpose entertainment destination.”

Sundance London provided an array of film premieres, live music performances, discussions and panels with guest speakers. Opening the proceedings on 26 April, Robert Redford and 12-time Grammy Award winner T Bone Burnett led a fascinating discussion on the magical relationship between film and music. The two shared their recollections of achieving great musical moments with the many filmmakers, actors and musicians they’ve collaborated with throughout their storied careers. Nick Hornby moderated the event, which also featured performances from Guillemots and Glen Hansard.

Making their UK premieres at Sundance London were 14 fiction and documentary features as well as eight short films from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A. Those films included The Queen of Versailles by Lauren Greenfield, Liberal Arts by Josh Radnor, Chasing Ice by Jeff Orlowski, The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki, Under African Skies by Joe Berlinger, and SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace.

The four Special Events at Sundance London were: an intimate performance by Rufus and Martha Wainwright following the world premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle; The debut theatrical screening of Coming Up For Air; a screening of the documentary HARMONY about the three decades of work by HRH The Prince of Wales to combat climate change and the global environmental crisis; and the 25th anniversary screening of River’s Edge, which first premiered at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival.

Music was featured prominently at the festival. In addition to showing several music-themed films, Friday night saw Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird reunite to perform the album Maxinquaye, and Placebo gave an electrifying performance to a sold-out crowd on Saturday night. Among the artists that performed in the festival’s Music Café at festival hub the Inc Club at The O2 were Beatrice Andersen and Seye.

Multiple panels on the creative process of independent filmmaking also took place at the festival, reflecting the year-round work of Sundance Institute. Events at the festival’s Cinema Café included guest speakers such Gina Rodriguez (Filly Brown), Sheldon Candis and producer Jason Michael Berman (LUV) in a relaxed and conversational setting. Also at the Cinema Café was a Table Read of FARMING, directed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (GI Joe, The Bourne Identity, LOST, OZ) and with a cast that included Ashley Walters, Marc Warren, Minnie Driver and David Harewood.

Sundance London took place 26-29 April at The O2. For more information, visit www.sundance-london.com.

FILMS AT SUNDANCE LONDON

2 Days in New York (Director: Julie Delpy, Screenwriters: Julie Delpy, Alexia Landeau)
Chasing Ice (Director: Jeff Orlowski)
Filly Brown (Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos, Screenwriter: Youssef Delara)
Finding North (Directors: Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush)
For Ellen (Director and screenwriter: So Yong Kim)
The House I Live In (Director: Eugene Jarecki)
Liberal Arts (Director and screenwriter: Josh Radnor)
LUV (Director: Sheldon Candis, Screenwriters: Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson)
Nobody Walks (Director: Ry Russo-Young, Screenwriters: Lena Dunham, Ry Russo-Young)
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (Director and screenwriter: Terence Nance)
The Queen of Versailles (Director: Lauren Greenfield)
Safety Not Guaranteed (Director: Colin Trevorrow, Screenwriter: Derek Connolly)
SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS (Directors: Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace)
Under African Skies (Director: Joe Berlinger)

Special Event films:

Coming Up For Air (Director: Charlie Targett-Adams)
HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World, Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales (Directors: Stuart Sender, Julie Bergman Sender)
River’s Edge (Director: Tim Hunter, Screenwriter: Neal Jiminez)
Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle (Director: Lian Lunson)

Short films:

The Arm (Directors and screenwriters: Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis)
Dol (First Birthday) (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Ahn)
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (Directors: Joseph Pelling, Rebecca Sloan)
Extranjero (Directors and screenwriters: Daniel Lumb and Crinan Campbell)
FISHING WITHOUT NETS (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey)
The Return (Kthimi) (Director: Blerta Zeqiri, Screenwriter: Shefqet Gjocaj)
Robots of Brixton (Director: Kibwe Tavares)
Song of the Spindle (Director and screenwriter: Drew Christie)
Tooty’s Wedding (Director: Frederic Casella, Screenwriters: Laura Solon, Ben Willbond)
MUSICAL PERFORMERS AT SUNDANCE LONDON
Glen Hansard
Guillemots
Placebo
Fifi Rong
Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird
Music Café, produced by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP):
Beatrice Andersen
Gabrielle Aplin
Daughter
Escapists
Cosmo Jarvis
Simon Lynge
Man Without Country
Rams’ Pocket Radio
Orlando Seale and The Swell (winner of the Gibson Spotlight at Sundance London contest in association with Absolute Radio)
Seye
Charlene Soraia
The Staves
EVENTS AT SUNDANCE LONDON
Opening Night: An Evening with Robert Redford and T Bone Burnett
Panels:
Documentary Flash Lab
Film Music from the Composer’s Point of View: an afternoon with Harry Gregson-Williams
Thinking Independently: UK versus US

Cinema Cafe:
Table Read: FARMING, with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (actor/writer/director)
Bring the Noise: Music in My Film
Making LUV
All Sundance London Press enquiries:
Claire Gascoyne / Liberty Green / Sanam Jehanfard (online)
Tel: 020 7292 8330
Email : Firstname.surname@premierpr.com
www.premierpr.com
Notes to the Editor:
Sundance London
The first-ever Sundance London film and music festival took place at The O2 26-29 April, 2012, and is a partnership between Robert Redford, Sundance Enterprises, Sundance Institute and AEG Europe. Sundance London hosted the UK premieres of films fresh from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival as well as live music performances and events each evening, including the previously announced Opening Night event An Evening With Robert Redford and T Bone Burnett, Placebo in concert, Rufus and Martha Wainwright sing Kate McGarrigle, and Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird performing Maxinquaye. Also on offer to Sundance London audiences were unique opportunities to attend panels and hear guest speakers talk about the part they play in making films, documentaries and the role of music in modern cinema. Sundance London is made possible by support from: Presenting Partner – Sony Entertainment Network; Supporting Partners – The Langham, London and Stella Artois®; Official Providers – Air New Zealand, ASCAP, Dolby Laboratories, Inc, Gibson Guitar Corp., HR Owen and Aston Martin, MGM HD, Stolichnaya Vodka, US Embassy Office of Cultural Affairs, and WorldView. Special thanks to AMC Networks, The BRITDOC Foundation; BAFTA, BFI, Film London, and Sundance Channel. 30% of proceeds go to the nonprofit Sundance Institute. For more information on Sundance London, please visit www.sundance-london.com or follow @SundancefestUK on Twitter.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford is an Academy Award-winning actor, director and producer, a passionate advocate for the arts and a leading environmentalist. He serves as President of the non-profit Sundance Institute, which he founded 30 years ago to foster independence, discovery and new voices in American film and theatre. Mr. Redford also founded the Sundance Channel, Sundance Resort, Sundance Catalog, and Sundance Cinemas and the non-profit Redford Center. Though very different in their activities and independent in their operations, all of Mr. Redford’s Sundance entities share the same core mission he has always held dear: a passionate connection to new artists, new voices and new perspectives. www.sundancegroup.net
Sundance Institute
The Sundance Film Festival is a program of Sundance Institute, a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, I Am My Own Wife, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute (http://www.sundance.org) on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sundance), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/sundancefest) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/sff).
AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. It owns or operates some of the world’s best arenas and theatres, numerous sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL) and LA Galaxy (MLS), and a collection of companies dedicated to producing, promoting and presenting world-class live entertainment.
In May 2005, AEG Europe announced that it would transform the former Millennium Dome and the surrounding area into the UK’s most exciting and technically advanced music, sport and entertainment destination. It was renamed The O2 and opened in June 2007.
The centrepiece of the multi-million pound development is the 20,000 capacity indoor arena, the most popular music arena in the world. There is also a live music venue – indigO2 – with a capacity of 2,350, The O2 bubble – a state of the art exhibition space that is host to the British Music Experience, a permanent, high-tech, interactive music museum, an 11 screen cinema complex, and a vibrant ‘Entertainment District’ featuring a variety of bars, restaurants and leisure facilities.
The O2 arena sold more tickets than any other arena in the world last year (breaking all previous records) – making it the most popular music venue in the world for the fifth year running.
AEG employs more than 3,000 staff in over 45 operating companies worldwide. Its international head office is in Los Angeles, and its European headquarters is based in London.
Sony Entertainment Network are proud to be Presenting Partner of Sundance London. Sony Entertainment Network is the ultimate destination for digital music, movies, games, and more accessible across a wide array of connected devices through one convenient account. The service incorporates Video Unlimited, Music Unlimited and the PlayStation Network. Video Unlimited is a global premium digital video service with a growing library of over 80,000 of blockbuster movies and hit TV shows. It gives users convenient, single account access to great content across a wide variety of connected devices both in the home and on the go. Music Unlimited is a global cloud-based, digital streaming music service that features an expanding catalogue of over 15 million songs. It gives music lovers convenient, single account access to great music on a wide variety of connected devices both in-home and on the go. www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com

Tim Burton’s stop-motion, animated film, Frankenweenie will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX 3D format and released in IMAX digital theatres worldwide day-and-date on Oct. 5, 2012. The film marks the first black and white Hollywood feature and first stop-motion animated movie to be presented in IMAX.

From Disney and directed by Tim Burton, Frankenweenie: An IMAX 3D Experience features the voices of Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Winona Ryder. The film is a remake of the live-action short directed by Tim Burton in 1984.

“IMAX has a long-standing relationship with Tim Burton, whose unique artistic vision and brilliant storytelling has captured the imagination of audiences around the world,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We’re excited to add Frankenweenie as the second Tim Burton feature in our 2012 film slate, providing IMAX audiences a distinctive new way to experience animation.”

The IMAX release of Frankenweenie will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About Frankenweenie
From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland, The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes Frankenweenie, a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie, will be filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience.

Presented by Disney, Frankenweenie is directed by Tim Burton and produced by Tim Burton and Allison Abbate, with Don Hahn serving as executive producer. John August wrote the screenplay, based on an original idea by Tim Burton. The film will be released in U.S. theaters on October 5, 2012.

Tim Burton brings TV cult classic series “Dark Shadows” to the big screen in a film boasting an all-star cast, led by Johnny Depp in his eighth collaboration with Burton.

In 1750, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from England to start a new life in America, where they build a fishing empire in the coastal Maine town that comes to carry their name: Collinsport.

Johnny Depp plays Barnabas, the master of Collinwood Manor. He is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy–until he makes the grave mistake of falling in love with a beauty named Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote) and breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green).

Nearly two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972, a stranger in an even stranger time. Returning to Collinwood Manor, he finds that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin, and the dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.

Depp as Producer
Johnny Depp, who stars as Barnabas Collins, recalls, “There was nothing like it, certainly not in the daytime, with its vampires and ghosts and witches. I’ve always been attracted to that genre, even as a very young kid, so when I got hold of ‘Dark Shadows,’ I didn’t let go.”

Decades later, he is playing the film’s central and also producing the movie, with Richard D. Zanuck, Graham King, Christi Dembrowski and David Kennedy.

“Dark Shadows” marks Depp’s eighth collaboration with Tim Burton, his most frequent and favorite director.
The film continues their remarkable cinematic partnership. “Obviously, the one person who immediately came to mind to bring this project to life was Tim,” Depp states. “He became really pumped up about it as we began to develop it.”

Passion
“Johnny always puts 100 percent into everything he does, and I could tell right away he had a passion for this,” says Burton. “I was excited to see where we could go with the story, and I knew it would be a lot of fun.”

The role of vampire Barnabas Collins was conceived by Dan Curtis and famously originated by Jonathan Frid. Introduced almost a full year after the series’ debut, the character quickly caused the ratings to soar and came to define the show.

Years before Burton’s film version of “Dark Shadows” became a reality, Johnny Depp had been hand-picked to assume the role of Barnabas by the series creator. Curtis, together with David Kennedy, had long wanted to bring the series to the big screen and, in the mid-2000s, approached Depp with the idea of a film, starring the actor as Barnabas.

I am Honored

Depp says he was “honored that Dan saw me for the role of Barnabas Collins,” also revealing that his portrayal pays homage to the actor who first played the role. “Every angle I tried, I kept coming back to Jonathan Frid’s iconic performance. He did something striking with that character, so my Barnabas is largely based on his, with a few other ingredients thrown in and slightly more flowery language…a little bit more of a vocal style in terms of enunciation.”

Willing to Try Anything

For Burton, one of the joys of working with Depp is the actor’s ability to push himself. “Johnny is willing to try anything. He’s always coming up with new things, which we both enjoy. So every time we work together is different, and that’s what keeps it fun and fresh.”

Zanuck observes, “Each collaboration between the two of them is quite amazing—Tim comes up with these incredible ideas and Johnny translates them on the screen. They know each other so well, Johnny can tell by Tim’s expression whether he likes something, or Tim will say one or two things and Johnny will immediately get what Tim wants.”

A vampire’s most distinctive trait is his fangs, and Depp had several choices with which to work. Harlow details, “We had some that were curved and others that were straight, one short set and one longer one. We even had a set that were more like rattlesnake fangs, which came down from behind the teeth. We also had a set that were activated by the way Depp opened his mouth; the fangs would drop down into place.”

Another of Barnabas’ sharpest features were his pointed fingernails tipping elongated fingers. Burton comments, “There was something about the fingers that was important to me, just the way a vampire touches things. I think it also helped with the emotional quality of the character’s expression.”

My Hands Make the Character

“The hands really helped make the character, although I had to learn how to touch things or pick things up about three inches from where my fingers actually were. It took a little while but I got used to it, and it completed the look.”

Graham King says, “Johnny just dove into this role; you could see his commitment in the hours and hours of hair and makeup he had to go through every day, as well as in his performance. Barnabas says and does some pretty outlandish things, but Johnny’s delivery is totally straight-faced as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. No one does these kinds of characters better than he.”

When Barnabas returns to Collinwood Manor, the only person who knows his true identity—and the fact that he is now a vampire—is matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Telling the family he’s a distant relative, she attributes his rather odd behavior to the fact that he’s from England.

Kindred Spirit
“I think Barnabas finds a kindred spirit in Elizabeth,” says Depp, “because she has tried to uphold the family name and is as dedicated as he is to restoring them to their previous stature.”

Pfeiffer, who plays Elizabeth, reveals that when she heard Tim Burton was planning a film version of her onetime favorite show, “I got so excited, I did something I never do: I called him about a part in the movie. There was no script at that point and I said, ‘I don’t know if there’s anything remotely right for me in this, but I want you to know I’m a huge fan of this show’. I knew I would kick myself if I didn’t because I really wanted to do this.”

With no rehearsal time prior to the start of principal photography, Burton found a way to put his entire main cast in the mindset of their respective roles. He gathered them together on the set for a photo session in which they replicated a famous image of the original television cast, all standing in the foyer of Collinwood Manor.

Burton recounts, “The day before shooting, we had everyone get into costume, and recreated that photo. It was amazing. In about 30 seconds, people found their characters. It was a good way of getting everybody into the same vibe.”

Christopher Lee as Depp’s Hero
The cast of “Dark Shadows” also includes cameos by some familiar stars. One pivotal scene features Christopher Lee, who has worked in four Tim Burton films. In this movie he plays local fisherman Silas Clarney, who ends up on the hook of Barnabas’ hypnotic powers.
Depp says generously and proudly: “Christopher Lee is not only one of my great acting heroes, he’s also someone I consider a friend and mentor, so it was wonderful that we got him for this role.”

Costumes

“Colleen Atwood’s approach to every character was right on the money,” states Depp. “The second you put on the costume, you stand differently. I found the character on a whole other level once the wardrobe came into play.”

In designing Barnabas’ costumes, Atwood was keen to carry the resplendent, Goth feel of his 18th-century attire in his ’70s wardrobe. “I wanted to retain the elegance of the earlier times,” she expounds. “Barnabas’ cape coat is a nod to the character’s coat from the original series, but I changed it up a little. It’s a stronger silhouette.”

Great Respect for TV Series
Depp says: “The film pays homage to the series, but at the same time, they put together something totally original.”

“It was done with great respect for the series and for Dan Curtis,” he affirms. “I hope die-hard fans will love it because you don’t get more die-hard than myself, Michelle Pfeiffer, or Tim Burton.”

Burton reflects, “I wanted to straddle the line between the old and the new to concoct something fun for both generations. Times have changed, but I think these characters are timeless.”

Burton directed “Dark Shadows” from a screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith, story by John August and Grahame-Smith, based on the TV series created by Dan Curtis.
The producers are Richard D. Zanuck (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Driving Miss Daisy”), Graham King, (“Rango,” “The Departed”), Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, and David Kennedy.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, production designer Rick Heinrichs (“Sleepy Hollow”), costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Alice in Wonderland”) and editor Chris Lebenzon.
The score was composed by four-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman (“Milk,” “Big Fish,” “Men in Black,” “Good Will Hunting”).