Sundance 2011: Distributors flock to Margin Call
Financial drama has heat
The red-hot festival buzz surrounding banking catastrophe drama Margin Call brought out the crowds at this morning's Sundance screening - it was full to capacity within minutes of the doors opening.
A Sundance staffer was heard to comment that the room was full of 'every single distributor' - and before lights down, head honcho Harvey Weinstein turned up.
Why the interest? Margin Call boasts a top drawer cast (Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto) and zeitgeist subject matter, charting as it does a Lehman Bros style meltdown in a fat-cat investmant bank.
Writer/director JC Chandon's portentous script explains the genus of the financial crisis in bite-sized terms and provides several speech-making moments for the players. All of which points to possible award-bothering potential.
So who'll pick up North American and UK rights? Will Mr Weinstein be making a bid?
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Jane Crowther is a contributing editor to Total Film magazine, having formerly been the longtime Editor, as well as serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Film Group here at Future Plc, which covers Total Film, SFX, and numerous TV and women's interest brands. Jane is also the vice-chair of The Critics' Circle and a BAFTA member. You'll find Jane on 12DOVE exploring the biggest movies in the world and living up to her reputation as one of the most authoritative voices on film in the industry.