THE OBENSON REPORT

Covering Cinema From All Across The African Diaspora

IFC Picks Up 'Che'


Excellent!

In a surprise move, IFC Films has acquired Steven Soderbergh's double bill "Che," swooping in and taking rights to the pic after a number of false reports had put it with Magnolia.

The movie, which stars thespian Benicio del Toro as the titular character, in two two-hour parts, focuses on Che Guevara's twin revolutions in Bolivia and Cuba. It premiered at the Festival de Cannes in May to mixed response.

Release plans are still being determined, with the biggest question for the distributor whether to release the films together or separately -- or as a combination of the two approaches.

The buy is the first large one for IFC, which has been reasonably quiet compared to its recent fest activity.

2 comments:

  1. Sujewa Ekanayake said...
     

    Looking forward to checking that flick out. I heard about a recent US book recently where the author says pre-Castro cuba was very corrupt, basically a colony for some US corporations, & racist. Which, of course, does not excuse any evil things done by the revolution. I wonder if Cubans are better off now than they were under Batista.

  2. The Obenson Report said...
     

    I'd say neither. Both were de facto dictators. But if I had to choose one over the other, I'd prefer to exist under Castro's rule than Batista's, from what I know of Cuba's history. Batista did indeed run a corrupt, self-serving, fascist regime. He even had ties to the American Italian mob, and was a tool for the American government. And when things got too hot to handle, he fled the country with millions in his pocket.

    But yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing 'Che' as well, despite it's 4-hour running time.

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