The Circuit

There's not one but two projects in Sundance with fest directors in above-the-line positions. 

"Bottle Shock," (pictured, with Alan Rickman) the adaptation of the 1976 Judgment of Paris, is produced by Sonoma Valley fest's exec director, Marc Lhormer.  At the IFFS he told The Circuit he'd been looking for a film to produce -- and one on the birth of the Napa wine industry was a no-brainer.  With the Sundance bow, he's keen to do more.  Check out The Knife's stab at the film here.

Incidentally, Lhormer also mentioned that the next Sonoma Valley fest will offer a $10,000 CASH prize for the director of a first or second feature film.  

Then there's "The Deal," a William H. Macy and Meg Ryan starrer that got most of its money through the Sarasota-based kane-jiro films, run by Keri Nakamoto and Jody Kielbasa.  Kielbasa is the Sarasota fest's exec director and Nakamoto is on the fest's board.  

kame-jiro films are looking for more investors to build a $36 million film fund.