John August's The Nines Gets US Distribution, Hopes For Cannes

There were 5 movies we really loved at this year's Sundance. One of them was screenwriter John August's directorial debut The Nines. GreeneStreet quickly scooped up the international rights, but we worried that the film might not get distribution in the U.S. because of its unique unconventional narrative. Well good news, Newmarket and Sony have partnered for US distribution (Newmarket will do theatrical, Sony will do home video).

"If you've got a challenging indie with geek appeal, they're your distributor of choice," August wrote in a recent blog post. The Nines is a movie which some people love fanatically, yet leaves other people scratching their heads. Newmarket has a great track record with this kind of film, and won't try to market it as something it's not. They're small, and can give it the kind of steady nurturing it needs."

And I completely agree, who else to distribute a movie like this than the guys who brought us Donnie Darko and Memento. Let's just hope that Newmarket can figure out a way to market this type of movie. And let's hope that Sony doesn't pull another Donnie Darko, and try to pass the DVD as a genre thriller/horror movie (thankfully audiences found Darko despite the horrible home video cover-art and synopsis). August says he knew Newmarket was the right choice after the second screening. The screenwriter turned director hopes to get the film into this year's Cannes Film Festival:

"There's talk of an early fall release, but some of that depends on a certain French festival which I don't want to jinx by mentioning. Regardless, we'll probably be a New York/Los Angeles exclusive at first, and then expand as the response merits. With this kind of movie, it's entirely possible it won't end up showing at your local multiplex. And that's okay. That's what DVDs are for."

Glad to hear the good news. We're really happy for John and his crew. We loved the film and are glad to see that it will get a chance in the US.