AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

HBO breaks with tradition - Variety

Great packaging still secures filmmaker deals

If HBO is known as the belle of the docu ball, prexy Sheila Nevins is the undisputed queen of the castle, a tastemaker who comes to fests like Sundance not to ogle, not to acquire, but to inspire envy.
“We rarely buy during the festival. We come here to win. We come here to be admired,” Nevins admitted.

But at this year’s fest, HBO broke with tradition and bought “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” Marina Zenovich’s documentary about helmer Roman Polanski. Fifteen minutes into the doc, Nevins informed a colleague they had to have it. HBO nabbed all domestic rights for about $1 million, and the Weinstein Co. grabbed international rights for about $600,000.

Still, the Polanski doc had major buzz and several additional theatrical buyers were circling, so why the swift sale to HBO? While Zenovich may have preferred a theatrical release, the answer had to do not only with the need to repay her investors but also with HBO’s deluxe filmmaker-friendly packaging: marketing and delivery support; a one-week Oscar-qualifying run, complete with premiere party plus a potential wider theatrical release; and DVD distribution. None of the theatrical distribution bids, which included various combinations of Netflix, A&E and the History Channel, came close, according to Zenovich’s sales agent, Josh Braun of Submarine.

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