Miramax pays $ 1 mil for some 'Tom' rights
Limited rights to the Willem Dafoe-Miranda Richardson starrer, which is in post-production, were sold on the strength of a 5 1/2-minute promo reel.
The deal was secretly reached Thursday night in London, following meetings among Weinstein, production company Samuelson Prods. (aka New Era Prods.), managing partner Marc Samuelson, Entertainment Film Distributors and British Screen managing director Simon Perry.
Mifed fave
Directed by Brian Gilbert, "Tom and Viv" is the true story of the first marriage of writer T. S. Eliot and Vivienne Haigh-Wood. The movie was one of the few bright spots at the recent product-starved Mifed, which sported a dearth of promising domestic material.
Competing bidders for the movie speculated that Weinstein believes the pic can replicate the success of such previous independent U.K. product as "The Crying Game,""Orlando" and "Howards End."
Coming out of Mifed last month, "Tom and Viv" had attracted such potential buyers as Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Fine Line Features, the Samuel Goldwyn Co. and Sony Pictures Classics. The movie even attracted an independent bid from Universal Pictures outside of its alliance with Polygram.
All bidders for the movie reportedly were offering large sums to distribute the pic, but most wanted to pay in the neighborhood of $ 3 million for all domestic rights. Under terms of the rich Miramax pact, ITC Entertainment retains domestic video and television rights to the pic.
Miramax had no comment, but it is believed that the company and ITC are in negotiations to partner on the U.S. video and television distribution of "Tom and Viv."
Domestic rights to "Tom and Viv" pass from I.R.S. Media to Miramax. I.R.S., distributor of "One False Move" and "Gas Food Lodging," reportedly agreed that it was in "Tom and Viv's" best interests for I.R.S. to back away from domestic theatrical distribution when it became clear that the movie had a shot at blockbuster grosses if it were handled by a major independent marketing and distribution shingle such as Miramax, Fine Line or Goldwyn.
Based on an original stageplay, "Tom and Viv" was adapted for the screen by Michael Hastings. The movie was produced by Marc Samuelson, Peter Samuelson and Harvey Kass, while I.R.S. Media's Miles Copeland and Paul Colichman executive produced.
Cannes contender
The U.K. film community generally recognizes "Tom and Viv" as the country's strongest early contender for next spring's Cannes Film Festival. At Mifed, a story circulated among British filmmakers and directors that Weinstein, from Los Angeles, had taken to calling people involved in "Tom and Viv" at the wee hours of the morning in Europe to discuss Miramax's potential acquisition.
Internationally, French distribution and exhibition company UGC holds virtually all non-English-language rights to "Tom and Viv," and Entertainment Film Distributors holds U.K. rights. The pic reportedly charted blockbuster sales at Mifed.
Samuelson sizzles
For Samuelson Prods., the deal firmly establishes the company as one of the most significant London/Los Angeles developers of movie material in the business.
Headed in London by Marc Samuelson and in Westwood by Peter Samuelson, the Anglo-American development and production company is developing such promising projects as the adaptation of John Wyndham's "The Chrysalids," action drama "No Turning Back" and New Age actioner "Shimane."
The strategy behind Samuelson Prods. is to find properties that can be produced on a modest budget in Britain, but also have the ability to travel into the U.S.
