Sundance Buzz: Paramount Vantage Picks up ‘American Teen’

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 23, 2008

It’s been a very slow buying market here at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, with studios holding off until later in the week to drive the prices of films down. Of course, that didn’t stop Focus Features from acquiring Hamlet 2 for $10 million dollars, the largest figure in Sundance history.

Today only saw one major film that found a home, and it was a film that I absolutely raved about in my review earlier this afternoon. It appears that director Nanette Burstein’s midwestern coming of age documentary American Teen has been acquired by Paramount Vantage for an estimated $1 million. This marks the fourth major acquisition in the last two days, including the aforementioned Hamlet 2, Choke and Henry Poole is Here.

I could not be more excited for Nanette Burstein, who talked passionately today about her film at the press and industry screening. Her film is a really honest look at what its like to grow up in the midwest (read: the real world). And since that’s where I come from, there is a distinct connection there. Either way, it is a great film. Need more proof, read my review: American Teen.

–

Keep an eye on our Sundance 2008 Homepage for more from Park City.

Read more articles by Neil Miller