3 Jewish Films Get Major Deals at Sundance
Image by Getty Images
By Talya Zax January 26, 2016
Sundance Film Festival, the film industry’s annual takeover of Park City, Utah, kicked off last Thursday, and already three films of particular note have been picked up for distribution.
Weiner
In May, Sundance Selects will release “Weiner,” filmed primarily during Anthony Weiner’s second bid to become mayor of New York City. The film was supposed to chronicle the politician’s comeback; one of its directors, Josh Kriegman, had been the politician’s chief of staff. Instead, Kriegman, co-director Elyse Steinberg, and their film crew tracked Weiner, his wife, Huma Abedin, and his campaign as he became the center of another sexual scandal, and his campaign turned disastrous. “Weiner” has already stirred up a great deal of controversy, with critics claiming that the filmmakers bowed to pressure from Hillary Clinton’s campaign to alter the role of Abedin, Clinton’s close campaign aide, so as not to damage the presidential candidate’s campaign.
Author: the JT LeRoy Story
JT LeRoy emerged in the American literary scene in the 1990s, causing a stir with a chaotic backstory of vagrancy, prostitution and drug addiction. In 2005, an exposé revealed that LeRoy was in fact the fictional creation of Laura Albert who, among many other accomplishments, is also an occasional contributor to the Forward. The strange tale of Albert, LeRoy and literary persona, directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, has already been picked up for distribution by Amazon.
Indignation
An adaptation of Philip Roth’s 2008 novel of the same name, “Indignation” tells the story of Marcus Messner, son of a kosher butcher, who leaves New Jersey to attend college in Ohio. Over the course of the film Messner struggles with anti-Semitism, the Korean war and his first foray into love. Featuring performances from Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadot, and Tracy Letts, the film has already become a hot ticket; Lionsgate Summit Entertainment has acquired the film’s North American distribution rights for a rumored $2.5 million.
Talya Zax is the Forward’s culture intern.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
