Film financing and film production can be long, slow processes. But deals for distribution rights may be struck up fast and furious, as seen from distribution interest in buzz movies at film festivals. This happened with Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, a film about a young African-American mother in Harlem that won both the grand jury prize and audience award in drama at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009. Hurried negotiations for the film distribution rights to Push has led to multi-suit litigation ' and a recent Manhattan federal district court ruling that may help define when there's a binding distribution deal.
October 29, 2009Stan Soocher