IndiePix Joins Forces With Leading UK Distributor Dogwoof

Last month IndiePix announced a strategic partnership with Dogwoof, a UK-based independent film distributor specializing in World Cinema. As part of its strategy to widen the reach of independent film, this alliance will enable IndiePix to extend its film distribution across the UK and enable Dogwoof to distribute its titles in America. The partnership provides significant opportunities for each distributor to significantly extend its industry and consumer links. In addition, this alliance provides a framework on which other strategic relationships can be built as this collaboration continues to grow globally.

As part of the agreement Dogwoof will promote IndiePix's leading titles across the UK through a variety of distribution formats including theatrical screenings, DVD sales, TV contracts and online distributions. IndiePix currently has over 3,000 titles within its film catalogue and will work with Dogwoof to build a portfolio of titles for the UK audience.

The new documentary THE END OF AMERICA, based on the book by Naomi Wolf, will be the first IndiePix title to go live in the UK through Dogwoof. The film has drawn mass audiences across the US and is expected to repeat its performance in Europe when it is released in the UK on January 19th.

On January 12th Naomi Wolf, IndiePix President Bob Alexander and Dogwoof head Andy Whittaker will attend a press conference in London to promote the film and the new overseas alliance.

For more on Dogwoof please visit: www.dogwoof.com.

Danielle DiGiacomo, Documentary Acquisitions, Jets Off to Sundance

Robert Redford's megafest launches in Park City on January 15th with a diverse line-up of 118 features - both docs and fiction films. Culled from 3,661 submissions, this represents the creme-de-la-creme of World Cinema. DiGiacomo will be lodging with some great colleagues, including the indefatigable threesome behind Rooftop Films, filmmakers Jessie Epstein and Trish Dalton, and Chicken and Egg Productions' Natalie Difford. Among the films DiGiacomo is excited to see on the big screen are Havana Marking's AFGHAN STAR, the Danish documentary BURMA VJ (which made a splash at this year's IDFA), and Joe Berlinger's CRUDE.

Cinema Eye Honors Announces 2009 Nominees in Park City on January 19th, 2009

With the second annual Cinema Eye Honors rapidly approaching in late March, the Awards' cofounders, AJ Schnack and Thom Powers, will reconvene at Sundance on January 19th to announce this year's nominees. Along with IndiePix's Danielle DiGiacomo, the duo will announce the nominees for the ten categories. (Since last year, the Cinema Eyes have added an additional category for "Outstanding Achievement in Composing"). As AJ Schnack announced on his blog on December 1st, 117 feature nonfiction films are eligible, running the gamut from box office and critical successes such as James Marsh's universally acclaimed MAN ON WIRE to quirky festival favorites like ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL. The full list of films can be seen here.

Toots Plays in Key West

Kristi Jacobson's critically acclaimed documentary about the life of her legendary grandfather, New York restaurateur Toots Shor, played to an invitation-only crowd in Key West (or "the Last Stop, as some locals call it" according to our fearless leader, IndiePix President Bob Alexander.) The crowd of 50 people, many of whom had attachments to Toots himself, sat under the stars at Club Carper and had enthusiastic and emotional reactions. According to Alexander's blog recap, " One commenter talked about how the restaurant was the center of the show business community, how people had walked over from Broadway or the television studios to meet and talk and do business. Another person's father had been a sports writer in Washington, DC and had traveled frequently to New York with the family; she had seen first-hand how important - and accessible - the sports world was then." Director Jacobson was present for a post-screening Q&A.

IndiePix on iTunes!

At long last the best of IndiePix is making it's way into the iTunes downloading behemoth. Three fantastic IndiePix films - SKID ROW, RED WITHOUT BLUE, and OFF THE GRID: LIFE ON THE MESA - are now available for download through Apple's massive iTunes movie store. In SKID ROW, spend nine nights with international hip hop star Pras Michel as he lives the life of a homeless man in LA's most infamous neighborhood. In RED WITHOUT BLUE, discover a family torn apart when one twin brother goes through a sex change operation. And in OFF THE GRID: LIFE ON THE MESA, experience a rough company of eco-pioneers, teenage runaways, war veterans and drop-outs as they struggle to survive, clinging to their unique vision of the American dream.

Want to see more independent films on iTunes? Let your voice be heard by downloading these three fantastic titles today! Apple will not feature independent cinema more prominently until we the people demand it, so please share these great titles with friends and family, and tell all you know to support independent film on the internet. And in the coming months, expect more IndiePix titles to grace the iTunes store. Can't wait? Contact us at info@indiepix.net to find out which of our over 3,000 titles are available for download to your portable devices.

A Sneak Peak at 2009

We looked back and examined the high points of 2008 in last month's newsletter. I'm happy to look forward this month and bring you a sneak peak at three of our major releases for 2009. We certainly don't want to choose favorites when talking about our films or filmmakers, but these 3 titles certainly have the IndiePix office buzzing.

Each of these three films exemplifies the art and craft of documentary filmmaking and conveys a universality in subject matter.

Geoffrey Smith's multi-award winning film THE ENGLISH SURGEON is filled with unprecedented intimacy and sensitivity and is an unforgettable portrait of a true humanitarian. Beautifully shot in the scarce yet strangely cinematic setting of a Ukrainian hospital full of desperate patients and makeshift equipment, THE ENGLISH SURGEON is an emotional portrait of brain surgeon Henry Marsh as he wrestles with the dilemmas of the doctor patient relationship. This deeply moving and bracingly honest film is a story of courage and conviction. With an original soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, THE ENGLISH SURGEON openly confronts moral and ethical issues which touch every one of us. And all in a country called the Ukraine which is struggling to do the same thing. Look for this film in theatres beginning in March 2009 with a day-and date broadcast/DVD on P.O.V. later in the year.

Michael Jacobs' AUDIENCE OF ONE chronicles Pastor Richard Gazowsky's extraordinary journey making a biblical science fiction movie that would redefine the Hollywood epic, after he receiving a vision from God to spread the Gospel through filmmaking. This verite style film goes inside a Pentecostal church, where the charismatic Gazowsky leads his loyal cast and crew on an incredible journey that tests the limits of faith. From pre-production at their church, to principal photography in Italy, to leasing an enormous studio on an island in the San Francisco Bay, AUDIENCE OF ONE keeps pace with an embattled church production that looks to God in order to keep their dream alive. Full of humor and pathos, what transpires is a story of obsession, faith and delusion. IndiePix will release this film in late April in theatres and on DVD.

Cecile Leroy Beaulieu's JACK TAYLOR OF BEVERLY HILLS takes a nostalgic and intimate look at an American icon and a dying breed. For more than sixty years Jack Taylor has dressed the stars, including Cary Grant, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Indeed, it was Taylor's threads that established the fashion trends of The Rat Pack. Jack Taylor's custom-made suits have withstood the test of time, always fashionable and an enduring symbol of status. Through candid interviews and precious hours spent in Jack's dynamic presence, the film documents the colorful life of Jack Taylor, who in his nineties works with as much precision, wit and panache as ever. JACK TAYLOR OF BEVERLY HILLS is more than the story of a fashion pioneer; it is a bittersweet portrayal of old Hollywood, detailing not only the demise of custom tailoring, but of an era. On DVD and in stores March 2009.