Subway expands college film competition

Subway has expanded its "Subway Fresh Artists Filmmakers" program, expanding the project to NY University after launching it at University of Southern California last year. MyDamnChannel and IFC are distribbing the four Web series created during the competition alongside the winning series from last year's event. The projects bow today on MyDamnChannel.com and IFC.com before screening at the IFC Crossroads House at the SXSW fest in Austin, Texas, March 12. IFC will also promote the event, which starts airing March 26 on the cabler. Series also will be syndicated by MyDamnChannel across its partner sites, including YouTube. Subway, based in Milford, Conn., launched the project after looking for entertainment programming to offer on its Facebook and other social media pages. Its Facebook and Twitter pages has over 11 million fans, for example. Content & Co, the Los Angeles-based branded entertainment studio, is producing the project for Subway. Founded by Stuart McLean, it's also produced Schick's "Clean Break," that became a hit on Sony's Crackle.com, and Subway's "Training for Tahoe," that NBC aired and stars "The Office's" Brian Baumgartner, as well as the chain's music competition with OurStage.com and Clear Channel Radio. "Now that brands are regularly financing content, the five-years-ago textbook is outdated," said Stuart McLean, CEO of Content & Co. "Through 'Subway Fresh Artists,' we are collectively exposing the next generation of talent to the realities of today's content creation business, and empowering them to shape the future of our industry." Subway opted to expand the program to NY University's ProMotion Pictures program, after pairing up with the USC School of Cinematic Arts last year, as a way to "showcase emerging talent to a wider audience, and give students the opportunity to represent their schools with a bit of friendly rivalry," according to Tony Pace, senior VP, global chief marketing officer of Subway's Franchisee Advertising Fund. "We are pleased to provide an outlet for aspiring filmmakers to pursue their passion," Both schools were approached in the fall with a brand brief entitled, "Every Breakfast Sandwich Tells a Story," with students challenged to develop a creative treatment for scripted web series. More than 50 student teams submitted creative concepts for judging by a panel of representatives from Subway and Content & Co, USC and NYU faculty and alumni, and industry-insiders James Widdoes (director of "Two and a Half Men") and Brian Baumgartner ("The Office"). Five semi-finalists were chosen, with two finalists chosen from each university. "The Ultimates," about a rag-tag Ultimate Frisbee team that gets a shot at greatness thanks to luck, a new recruit and Subway diet; and "Frat House Musical: The Series," about a singing freshman, were chosen from USC. "The Loop," about friends trapped in a time loop; and "Tech Up," about an entrepreneur endeavoring to launch a startup out of a Subway shop," won from NYU. In just a year, USC considers Subway's project beneficial to its students, considering "many of them will work in television or even branded entertainment after graduation," said Brenda Goodman, head of the producing track and senior lecturer at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. "We are gratified that the success of our students' work during last year's project encouraged Subway to add another program to the mix." Subway is offering the filmmakers project to students within NYU's Stern School of Business, as well as the Interactive Telecommunications Program and the Graduate Film Program, both in the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts. "Today's content industry depends upon creative, business and technological excellence, and the opportunity for our students to combine forces has been truly inspiring for them and our faculty alike," said Sam Craig, director of the entertainment, media and technology program at NYU's Stern School of Business. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Fowler upped at RCA

Jennifer Fowler has been promoted to senior vp of digital marketing for RCA Records, the Sony Music Entertainment label announced today. Previously vp of marketing for the RCA Music Group, which was consolidated into a single label late last year, Fowler will oversee digital and mobile marketing for new releases. Fowler joined J Records as new media manager in 2001, after a stint at Emusic.com. She will continue to report to RCA president/COO Tom Corson. "Jennifer continues to provide the stellar RCA Records' roster with excellent support and dynamic campaigns across all digital platforms," said Corson in a statement. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Fox family works out for Reilly

Martha Plimpton and Jane Lynch Seth MacFarlane and Kevin Reilly Host Jane Lynch described the existence of the Fox Television family Thursday evening, because the Alliance for Children's Privileges celebrated its 20th anniversary by giving Fox Entertainment prexy Kevin Reilly the nation's Champion for kids Award."I am here to make certain that Kevin owes us a favor!" Lynch joked as she required the reins from the party held in the Beverly Hilton. Exactly the same might be stated from the relaxation from the Fox crowd including Boss Jim Gianopulos, "New Girl's" cast of Lamorne Morris, Mike Manley, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone and Zooey Deschanel plus "Raising Hope's" Martha Plimpton. Deschanel entertained the lawyer-filled audience with three tunes that they known as "two standards along with a Patsy" (Cline, that's).The evening elevated a lot more than $1.two million.

Fox cancels 'Terra Nova'

Fox late Monday made a decision to shut the lid on on its ambitious dino-drama "Terra Nova" following a show shipped middling ratings within the newcomer season.Studio last century Fox mentioned it could shop the series along with other systems. Your final-minute make an effort to own show an infusion of fresh creative talent is created late the other day, as drama vet Erection dysfunction Bernero ("Criminal Minds") was courted to help move the show's second season becoming an professional producer. But Fox entertainment topper Kevin Reilly ultimately made a decision to feed on another round in the pricey drama lensed australia wide.The project became a member of along with ultra high-profile auspices, shepherded by professional producers Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin.It went directly from script with a 13-episode order, simply because the vfx needs in the show were so competent regarding demand that amounted to be amortized over multiple episodes instead of just an plane pilot.The show faced a continuing fight round the creative front almost right from the start. Its premiere was postponed in the initial planned launch just like a midseason entry inside the 2010-11 season to last fall."Terra Nova" revolved around a advanced world where humans have discovered a portal to go to to prehistoric occasions to leave rampant pollution in the world. Skein featured a substantial ensemble cast toplined by Jason O'Mara and Stephen Lang.Professional producer Aaron Kaplan attracted the first pieces together noisy . 2010 in the concept created by scribes Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein.The cancelation of "Terra Nova" likely improves the probability of a renewal for either of Fox's other frosh dramas, "Alcatraz" and "The Finder," because both versions have shipped only so-so ratings. But nonetheless later on is Kiefer Sutherland starrer "Touch," which bows March 22. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Casey Affleck Frontrunner to Join Revenge Thriller Out Of The Furnace

EXCLUSIVE: Casey Affleck is poised to join the cast of Out of the Furnace, the Scott Cooper-directed revenge thriller that Relativity Media will put into production later this year with Christian Bale starring. The script, which originated as a Brad Ingelsby spec that sold with Leonardo DiCaprio and Ridley Scott attached in 2008, is finally coming together. Bale plays a guy who’s released from prison and wants only to get his life back and marry his gal. All that changes when his brother is murdered, and the mission becomes revenge. Affleck, I hear, will play the unfortunate brother. Scott Free and Appian Way are producing. Affleck is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

OSCARS: Indie Animation Upstart GKIDS Guns For Rango And DWA

Talk about the minis slaying the majors! It doesn’t get much more defined in those terms than in the financial divide between the nominees for this year’s Best Animated Feature Oscar. In one corner you have Paramount, which in addition to their own first big foray into the ‘toon competition with front-runner Rangohasa distribution deal with Dreamworks Animation, which landed both of their 2011 films –Puss In Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2 –in the hunt. In the other corner you have tiny upstart GKIDS. Who? The small NY outfit that became a distribution offshoot of the NY International Children’s Film Festival incredibly has the other two animated feature nominees with their indie pickups Chico & Rita and A Cat In Paris. Counting their initial foray into the Oscar race two years ago with The Secret Of Kells, this tiny distrib now has three ‘toon nominees in just a couple of years. Not bad. Left feeling shell-shocked are Disney/Pixar, a perennial nominee and winner in this category for the past four years running; Sony Pictures Animation, which touted Aardman’s Arthur Christmas;and 20th Century Fox’s Rio from Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age) — not to mention Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson’s intial animated effort, the motion capture The Adventures Of Tintin. Eric Beckman, founder of GKIDS and thekidpic festival that spawned it, was hoping for one nomination this year but almost didn’teven reallydream there could be two. “I won’t dare to lie: We had the hopes, if not expectations of getting at least one, having been down this road before with Kells, so we had planned onopening Chico & Rita in NY with that hope,” he says. “But I will completely fess up to the fact that when I was watching the Oscar nominations at 8:30 AM that morning and the first one that came up was Cat In Paris and the second one that came up was Chico & Rita I started spontaneously screaming around the room, and I had to rewind on TiVo to find out who the other actual films were because I was fucking floored. To have the Academy give us such a resounding endorsement made me really happy.” Beckman isn’t an Academy member so he can’t vote for his films, and when Kellswas nominated two years ago he couldn’t even get a ticket to the ceremony to cheer on the filmmakers — how times have changed. He says he doesn’t even believe in this kind of competition, comparing it to pitting Picasso vs. Van Gogh, but the marketing value is unmistakable. “For us our whole purpose is to help open the market up and expand the market for what I find both artful and thoughtful, sophisticated animated films for both adults and kids, an art form that exists with more economic success outside the U.S than inside,” he says. Indeed, both his nominees this year are international in nature. Chico & Rita is from Oscar-winning Spanish director Fernando Trueba and is a musical love story set initially in 1940s Cuba and spanning many years. It was first seen in the U.S.at the 2010 Telluride Film Festival but took over a year before a distribution deal could be set in motion. A Cat In Paris is a French ‘toon noir from first-timers Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol, a novelist who specializes in crime stories. GKIDS hope to use the Oscar nomination to launch the film in the U.S. in late spring after it is dubbed into English, possibly with star names — “If Matt Damon or Tina Fey are reading this now, please call,” Beckman laughs. Meanwhile Chico opened in NY a couple of weeks ago and received rave reviews and decent business with plans to slowly expand the adult ‘toon. Beckman hadn’t even met the directors until earlier this month; they had been doing everything by phone and email. In terms of finding films, Beckman says he hasa distinct advantage as Artistic Director of theNY Children’s Fest because, as he puts it, he looks at a “gazillion” films and has early tabs on stuff. Ironically, he first saw Cat In Paris because he was out at Pixar doing a promotional thing for 2009 festival winner Mia And The Migoo,which GKIDS distributed.Folimage, the French outfit behind it, was there and askedhimand the Pixar crowd to look at 15 minutes of the then-unfinishedCat In Parison DVD. Beckman loved it, waitedfor it to be finished and bought last year before Berlin. As fortrying to compete against the big-budget Oscarcampaigns of Paramount andDreamWorks Animation, Beckman is realistic. “I don’t think that double-fold wrap-around advertising or tweet, whatever, convinces someone to like a film,” he says. “I think it gets them to watch a film. Maybe it does shape their opinions in some way, shape or form. But our challenge is just getting the film into the hands of the Academy and getting them to put the damn thing in the DVD player. We’re an indie film company; we’re not going to spend a half million dollars on an awards campaign — we can’t. But we are spending something and we got a big shot in the arm from the NY critics (withChico). Beckman says he has several projects in the pipelinewith the basic goal of being the go-to home for Oscar-caliber independent animation, something the Academy members who vote in this category clearly appreciate. GKIDS is right in the thick of it now. And Beckman definitely has tickets for the Oscars this time.

Edinburgh Film Fest returns honours

The Edinburgh Intl. Film Festival has reinstated several major honours, including best worldwide feature film with a growing director, best performance in the British feature film as well as the Michael Powell Award for top British feature. Previously years within the fest, the Michael Powell Award honored the most effective British feature film selected within the British Gala section in the significant change to the 2012 edition, documentaries can also be qualified. The performance award is going to be provided for a person for exceptional be employed in a U.K. feature-length production. The world feature film with an emerging director kudo can also be open to documents. Both British and worldwide competition sections will probably be judged by worldwide juries. Qualifications for your honours will probably be within the artistic director's discretion it will be achievable for worldwide and British features to screen incorporated within the program but from competition. Fest artistic director Chris Fujiwara mentioned in the statement, "I am delighted to re-introduce these honours for your Festival this year and am thrilled to give both documentary and fiction films the opportunity to win the honours. I'm very strongly that getting significant honours is important with an worldwide film festival. Honours can stimulate creative dialogue and more importantly help shine the spotlight on emerging talent, that's part of the mission of EIFF." Contact Carole Horst at carole.horst@variety.com