Doc Film Deals Done at Sundance

by Jarrett Martineau | January 18, 2008 at 11:08 am

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Docs films continue their dominance as a viable and engaging filmic form at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which opened yesterday. One of the biggest deals was made for "Up the Yangtze", an acclaimed film by Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang.

Several small acquisitions kicked off the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday.

HBO Documentary Films said it picked up "The Black List: Volume One." Timothy Greenfield-Sanders directed the movie, in which journalist and former New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell interviews black cultural figures and icons ranging from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Sean Combs to Colin Powell.

An exhibit, book and other projects will accompany the film, with HBO executives saying the project could well include a second installment. No airdate has been set.

Zeitgeist Films said that it acquired all U.S. rights except television to the Chinese documentary "Up the Yangtze," which chronicles director Yung Chang's journey back to the place alongside the river where his grandfather lived as the Yangtze is about to be flooded by the Chinese government.

The film, which premieres Friday in Park City, is slated for an April release.