An educated crowd at 'Education'

Sony Classics pic premieres in Hollywood

By BILL HIGGINS

Gallery: Variety Screening: An Education

One sign of how strongly Sony Classics feels about "An Education" was that the notoriously thrifty distributor had an almost open bar at the after-party following Thursday's Egyptian preem.

Co-topper Tom Bernard described the pic as "a teenage coming-of-age tale told in the style of '60s British films," while co-topper Michael Barker called the film "exceptionally literate, with strong roles for great actors and a director working on all cylinders."

At the after-party at Cinespace (a mix of bar, restaurant and screening room), exec producer James Stern said "An Education" was "a female empowerment film that at its core is about the foibles of personal choice."

Helmer Lone Scherfig described her pic "as a little time machine that's period but still emotional."