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IFC will distribute The Wind That Shakes the Barley in the US
16 August 2006 at 11:34 PM | by Melty_Girl
[Note: This was originally published by cillianONLINE, which has been inactive since September 2006.]
First, the good news: according to Reuters, IFC Entertainment just bought the US distribution rights for The Wind That Shakes the Barley!
Now, the bad news: just as frequent cillianONLINE commenter Jackie predicted, we're looking at a Spring 2007 release. Reporter Gregg Goldstein does note, however, that "an Oscar-qualifying one-week release for the film is being discussed," which means mid-to-late December.
IFC is releasing Barley as part of IFC First Take, which uses a new, so-called "day-and-date" strategy of releasing films in theaters and on cable at the same time. You may remember that IFC kicked off this somewhat controversial program in March with Steven Soderbergh's fascinating little pic, Bubble. (More info here.) This new practice has caused feuding among entertainment companies, with some refusing to screen each other's day-and-date releases in theaters, but peace talks are currently underway, and Barley is unlikely to get caught in the corporate crossfire over this new business model.
Why is IFC giving Barley a day-and-date release?
"[Barley] could have gone either way" as either a traditional IFC Films theatrical release or as part of the innovative First Take slate, IFC vice president marketing Ryan Werner said. "But it's a great symbol of the kind of prestigious film we want for the program. It shows people that we're not just putting any film in First Take. We also wanted it to reach the widest possible audience."
He added that though the film has done well overseas, [Ken] Loach's films usually don't attract significant business at the U.S. box office, which was another factor in the decision to take the day-and-date route.
This is the good news that Cillian Murphy fans in America have been waiting for! But what about Canada?
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