IFC Films have finalized their release plans for their Oscar-bait Che from director Steven Soderbergh. Starring Benicio Del Toro as famed revolutionist Che Guevara will first screen for a one week Academy Award eligible run in New York and Los Angeles starting December 12th before rolling out officially on January 9, 2009 in the same two crucial markets. The December Oscar run will present the film in its entirety while the January launch date will split the film up into two separate 2 hour plus films entitled The Argentine and Guerrilla. A release in the Top 25 markets will follow in the proceeding weeks thereafter. On January 21st each film will also hit the company's Video-on-Demand provider known as IFC in Theaters.

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If you know anything about recent international cinema you should most definitely have heard of Hong Kong director Johnnie To. In the past few years, To has been the man behind such rough and tough film festival darlings as the Election series, Exiled, and Mad Detective.

With Sparrow, the filmmaker has pulled the rug out from under everyone and has gone alittle soft. Before you jump the gun, however, the film is said to be influenced by such staples of international film history as the French New Wave and the Hollywood musicals of yesteryear. One thing is for sure, To seems to have a hidden talent for capturing the beauty of the city.

While the DVD hit Hong Kong shores late last month, the blu-ray disc will make its way to online overseas retailers on September 25th.

Pre-order your high definition copy Sparrow now.

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It has been a good week for cult film director Darren Aronofsky. Just a few days ago, the filmmaker grabbed the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Now word comes through that Fox Searchlight has paid $4 million for US rights to the film.

The Wrestler, which is said to contain a career reviving performance from Mickey Rourke, was pick up by the indie branch of Fox after it received critical acclaim at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

The film, which also stars Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, is set to close the New York Film Festival on October 12th.

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I stumbled upon a handful of 'behind the scenes' photos from Jim Jarmusch's latest The Limits of Control that I felt were worth a look.

The plot of the film seems to be pretty hush-hush but what is known is that master cinematographer Christopher Doyle (who can be seen in several of the aformentioned photos) is behind the camera and an international cast of players including Isaach De Bankole, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Gael Garcia Bernal, John Hurt, and Youki Kudoh are all involved.

The on set photos were discovered on what seems to be a Russian livejournal page which you can take a gander at here.

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According to Green Cine Daily, famed German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder is set to be immortalized in 2009 with a biopic set to be filmed of his life. Germany's own Marco Kreuzpaintner, who made his American debut with the Kevin Kline starrer Trade, is attached to direct.

The filmmaker apparently has even found his lead, however, he has yet to disclose the name of the actor that will potray Fassbinder from the age of 17 on through to his death at 37.

Fassbinder alum Harry Baer is currentling hatching out the screenplay while director Kreuzpaintner is deep in promoting his latest film Krabat which opens in German theaters on October 9th.

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Sony Pictures Classic has picked up US distribution to the latest collaboration between Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and his muse Penelope Cruz entitled Broken Embraces.

The studio has been the filmmaker's home since releasing his 1999 Academy Award winner All About My Mother. Broken Embraces, which is currently still being lensed in both Madrid and the Canary Islands, is shot in the vein of a 50's film noir and is a four story piece on madness, obsession, and love - all of which are common place in a Almodovar film.

The film even brings back some actresses of Almodovar's past including Kiti Manver (The Flower of My Secret), Rossy de Palma (of such works as Law of Desire, Kika, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), Lola Duenas (Volver, Talk to Her), Ángela Molina (Live Flesh) and Chus Lampreave (7 films including What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Matador, and Labyrinth of Passion).

Unfortunately no official release date has been announced but one would assume that Broken Embraces would be a prime suspect for next year's Cannes Film Festival.

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