Pic pair break from fest pack

"Half Nelson" was initially deemed by buyers as too gritty, and the specialty arms steered clear of "The Illusionist," thinking it a better fit for a major studio.

But in a year with few indie successes on the level of the pricey "Little Miss Sunshine," which sold to Fox Searchlight for $10 million at Sundance, some of that fest's smaller buys -- including "An Inconvenient Truth" -- have been breakouts.

Increasingly at film fests, one big buy steals the headlines while the rest of the pics end up as sidenotes, snapped up as volunteers are breaking down awards tents.

"The Illusionist" was actually never bought at all. Producer Bob Yari decided to self-distribute the Edward Norton starrer after wheeling and dealing in Park City led only to a near-pact with Universal that never materialized.

"We were left with no suitors," says producer Michael London. "There is a mindset that takes place every year at Sundance. This year, people wanted movies that felt 'indie.' "

By that logic, "Half Nelson," which stars Ryan Gosling as a drug-addicted public school teacher, looked very "indie," and should have garnered attention.

But the studio specialty divisions saw it as too much of a tough sell. So the film wound up at ThinkFilm, and is generating major buzz and solid biz.

"Sundance was incredibly stressful," says "Nelson" helmer Ryan Fleck. "There were very few movies getting bought, and there were some good films there."

"Illusionist" is expanding to more than 1,200 screens, having taken in $13.1 million, while "Nelson" is approaching $1 million with just four prints in release.

The results either will drive acquisitions execs heading to Toronto crazy, or prove to indie zen-masters that pics do their place.