Even as the world stood still on Tuesday to watch the swearing-in of President Barack Obama — and the festivities that surrounded it — Sundance has been heating up with a bevy of deals concluded and more on the way.
Among them: Sony Pictures Classics picked up North American rights to Lone Scherfig‘s An Education while IFC Films took U.S. rights to Tommy Wirkola‘s Nazi zombie horror film Dead Snow, Lionsgate bought rights in North America and the U.K. to James Strouse‘s The Winning Season.
On Monday night, Fox Searchlight bought worldwide rights to Max Mayer‘s Adam, which it hopes to turn into the next Once.
In other Sundance doings, interest is also swirling around the well-reviewed Jim Carrey–Ewan McGregor film, I Love You Phillip Morris. Summit is said to be circling that film while other pics driving interest include The Cove, World’s Greatest Dad, Spread, Amreeka and Push.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood Reporter opines that romantic comedies are the new subgenre at Sundance. Films like Adam, Phillip Morris, Jay DiPietro‘s Peter & Vandy, Greg Mottola‘s Adventureland, the Michael Cera-film Paper Heart and 500 Days of Summer with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel have been generating a lot of feel-good buzz.
“There’s been such innovation in really simple love stories this year,” fest director Geoffrey Gilmore said. “For 20 years, everything stayed the same, and then suddenly we have a half-dozen films dealing with different approaches to being in a relationship.”
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