IFC Films

Infobox Company
name = IFC Films

type = Subsidiary
foundation = 1999
location_city = New York City
location_country = United States
location =
locations =
industry = Motion pictures
parent = Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
divisions =
subsid =
slogan = your world of I-F-C
homepage = http://www.ifcfilms.com/
intl =

IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by Rainbow Media. It distributes independent films and documentaries.

Releases

IFC Films first release was a drama in 1999, "Spring Forward", directed by Tom Gilroy. Over a hundred releases have followed, including:
* "Y Tu Mamá También" (2001) - by Alfonso Cuaron.
* "Casa de los Babys" (2002) - by John Sayles.
* "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002) - by Joel Zwick.
* "Return of the Secaucus 7" (1980, restored 2002) - by John Sayles.
* "XX/XY" (2002) - by Austin Chick.
* "The Brother from Another Planet" (1984, restored 2003) - by John Sayles.
* "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004) - by Michael Moore.
* "Land Of Plenty (2004) - by Wim Wenders.
* "Nobody Knows" (2004) - by Hirokazu Koreeda.
* "Touching the Void" (2004) - by Kevin Macdonald.
* "Me and You and Everyone We Know" (2005) - by Miranda July.
* "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" (2005) - by Rebecca Miller.
* "Transamerica" (2005) - by Duncan Tucker.
* "Sherrybaby" (2006) - by Laurie Collyer.
* "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" (2007) - by Jeff Garlin.
* "Mister Lonely" (2007) - by Harmony Korine.
* "Americanese" (2008) - by Eric Byler, adapted from a novel by Shawn Wong.
* "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" (2008) - by Cristian Mungiu.
* "Paranoid Park (2008) - by Gus Van Sant.

Video on Demand (VOD) and DVD

IFC has several ventures in video on demand (VOD), available through cable television pay-per-view, Apple iTunes, and Blockbuster's Movielink.

IFC First Take

IFC First Take, launched in 2006, combines a limited theatrical release with availability the same day by VOD. The films show in IFC's New York theater IFC Center, and well as other theaters that may participate. Landmark Theatres were the first outside theaters announced. [cite news
url=http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2006/01/park_city_06_bi_4.html
work=Indiewire
title=Park City '06 Biz Daily
first=Eugene last=Hernandez
date=2006-01-23
accessdate=2008-03-23]

Date-and-date vs. release windowing

Traditionally, in the United States, theatrical movies are released with "windows" separating the theatrical run, then airline and paid hotel showings, then DVD release, then pay-per-view cable, then premium cable, also called "pay TV" HBO, etc.), then broadcast and basic cable. [cite news
url=http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2005/nf20051018_5868_db011.htm
work=Business Week
title= Movie Moguls Need to Face the Music
first=Ron |last=Grover
date=2005-10-18
accessdate=2008-03-23
quote=Hollywood's [using an] increasingly outdated "windows" business model, in which studios first sell their flicks to theaters, then release them on DVD, and finally license them for TV. Movies are currently available for download somewhere between DVD and TV... [S] ources say that studios are contemplating whether to begin releasing some of their films 'day-and-date,' meaning they would be simultaneously available on DVD and for downloading.] [cite news
url=http://www.news.com/2100-1038_3-5357336.html
title=Picture imperfect for Netflix, TiVo
first=Stefanie |last=Olsen |coauthors=Dawn Kawamoto
work= CNET News
date=2004-09-08
accessdate=2008-03-23] [cite news
url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hollywood/business/windows.html
work=Frontline
title=The Monster That Ate Hollywood: now playing...and playing...and playing...
date=November 2001
accessdate=2008-03-23] [cite news
url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hollywood/interviews/gerbrandt.html
work=Frontline
title=The Monster That Ate Hollywood: Interview: Larry Gerbrandt
date=September 2001
accessdate=2008-03-23] VOD services, starting with the first legal one, Movielink, generally gained the rights to the same window as pay-per-view. This put them after the DVD release. Making VOD release simultaneous with DVD is called "day-and-date", or "collapsing the window".

IFC First Take goes further, with "day-and-date" meaning simultaneous theatrical release and VOD, though DVD may come months later. For instance, "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" came out on First Take in September 2007. The full retail DVD release is scheduled for April 15, 2008, though Blockbuster has an exclusive rental available as of March 2008.

In a March 2008 panel discussion, IFC Film's Arianna Bocco stated that all its films would be released through First Take. [cite web
url=http://www.thefilmpanelnotetaker.com/2008/03/ifp-alternative-models-of-distribution.html
title= IFP - Alternative Models of Distribution
work=The Film Panel Notetaker
date=2008-03-14
accessdate=2008-03-23
quote='Is the FirstTake model being used for every IFC film now?' Bocco: 'Yes. We're now in 50 million homes for VOD. We just made a deal with Blockbuster. It's been really successful. Why go backwards to a traditional model? We have a lot of these "Mumblecore" movies. They embrace this model. I see a generational difference in filmmakers. Even someone like Gus Van Sant is all for it.']

Initial releases

Films initially distributed by IFC First Take included:
* "" (2004) - a mockumentary by Kevin Willmott.
* "American Gun" (2005) - by Aric Avelino.
* "I Am a Sex Addict" (2005) - by Caveh Zahedi.
* "The Russian Dolls" (2005) - by Cédric Klapisch.
* "Sorry, Haters" (2005) - by Jeff Stanzler.
* "Three Times" (2005) - by Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

IFC Festival Direct

IFC Festival Direct, announced in 2008, is VOD distribution for films not slated for theatrical release in the United States. [cite news
url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1117979006&cs=1
title=IFC adds VOD label
first=Dade |last=Hayes
date=2008-01-14
work=Variety
accessdate=2008-03-23] Non-theatrical films are known as "straight-to-video", but the idea of Festival Direct and other new models is to remove the stigma of that term.

Initial releases

The first films scheduled for IFC Festival Direct were:
* "Jar City" (2006) - by Baltasar Kormákur, an adaption of a novel by Arnaldur Indriðason.
* "It's a Free World..." (2007) - by Ken Loach.
* "Beautiful Ohio" (2006) - by Chad Lowe.
* "Puffball" (2007) - by Nicolas Roeg .
* "Good Time Max" (2007) - by James Franco.

Apple iTunes

In 2006 IFC Films began distributing some films to Apple iTunes. The first batch were thirteen films with nominations in the Independent Spirit Awards. [cite news
url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/02/22/ifc_helps_grow_apples_itunes_film_catalog.html
title=IFC helps grow Apple's iTunes film catalog
first=Katie |last=Marsal
date=2007-02-22
work=Apple Insider
accessdate=2008-03-23]

Exclusive deal with Blockbuster

In March 2008, IFC Films and Blockbuster agreed to a distribution deal giving Blockbuster an exclusive 60-day VOD and DVD rental window, attempting to shut out its competitor Netflix. A similar deal in late 2006 between Blockbuster and Genius Products / The Weinstein Company had been partially thwarted when Netflix and other retailers were able to buy DVDs via wholesale "sell-through". Netflix then rented the DVDs under the legal first-sale doctine. Netflix often had titles available on the same day as Blockbuster. The new agreement with IFC Films had stricter terms, preventing any retail sale during the 60-day window, as well making a claim to exclusive "physical rental distribution rights" for three years. IFC Films receives in-store promotion in Blockbuster retail locations.cite news
url=http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6538582.html
title=Blockbuster gets exclusive window on IFC titles
first=Susanne |last=Ault
first=Dade |last=Hayes
date=2008-03-05
work=Video Business
accessdate=2008-03-23] cite press release
url=http://www.rainbow-media.com/rainbow/media/release_release.jsp?nodeid=5791
title=IFC Entertainment and BLOCKBUSTER Sign Two-Year Exclusive Rental Deal
publisher=IFC
date=2008-03-05
accessdate=2008-03-23] Note: Genius Products / The Weinstein Company also distributes retail DVDs for IFC Films, but it is not clear whether the previous agreement covered those DVDs. Blockbuster's VOD service is its recently acquired Movielink.

Critics such as RogerEbert.com editor Jim Emerson feared the deal would limit the proper distribution of IFC Film's movies, since Blockbuster has in the past avoided uncut NC-17 films. [cite web
url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2008/03/ifc_signs_pact_with_devil_bloc.html
title=IFC signs pact with devil - Blockbuster
first=Jim |last-Emerosn
work=Scanners
publisher=RogerEbert.com
date=2008-03-05
accessdate=2008-03-23]

References

External links

* [http://www.ifcfilms.com/ Official site]
*imdb company|0015762