News

Obsessive producer David O. Selznick fussed over this metaphysical celebration of wife Jennifer Jones for years before finally releasing it in 1948 to dismal box office returns. One of the most haunting love stories ever to come from Hollywood, it improves on the poetic Robert Nathan novella it’s based on. Beautifully shot and scored, it won an Oscar for its special effects. A unique and spiritual movie.

The post Portrait of Jennie appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Two contrived things, found-footage and porn, combine to create a flick that is distasteful and downright disgusting in so many ways. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): found footage is played out

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Murderous Nice Guys(Tm) for the, er, win, again. Dave (Jay Paulson) is “a decent guy… a nice person,” and so he deserves to fuck a porn star. And thanks to a Web project by porn filmmaker Mike (Don McManus: Grand Piano), Dave is getting his chance, with XXX star Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue: Miss March)… and it’ll all be recorded for posterity and online sales. Now, Dave knows that the Lucky Bastard Web site gets a lot of bang out of making fun of the sorts of pathetic losers who think they deserve to fuck a porn star and then — invariably, as...

Stars: Don McManus, Jay Paulson, Betsy Rue, Chris Wylde, Catherine Annette, Lee Kholafai, Lanny Joon, Clint Brink, Deborah Zoe | Written by Robert Nathan, Lukas Kendall | Directed by Robert Nathan

When I read the story line for Lucky Bastard I couldn’t help but remember the scene in Boogie Nights in the limo with Roller Girl (Heather Graham) being served up to a “fan”, that didn’t end well and neither does Lucky Bastard. Things never go well when reality is mixed with fantasy…

Lucky Bastard is a website run by Mike (Don McManus) which invites fans to have sex with porn stars. Dave (Jay Paulson) is the latest fan to be selected, and the porn star Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue) is less than happy about doing a scene with an amateur. As the shoot nears and things start getting tense, will Mike get the money shot he expects?

Whatever your...

These bastards may not be so lucky.

“Lucky Bastard” pushes the boundaries of thriller cinema into the pornography business. With an Nc-17 rating, the movie looks into the scary side of the pornography business—a possible crazed maniac killer.

In a reality porn footage, a porn web site invites fans with porn stars. A young fan was given the opportunity to have sex with a famous porn star, but the cast and crew ended up with gruesome results.

The movie stars Don McManus (“The Shawshank Redemption”), Jay Paulson (“Mad Men”), Betsy Rue (“My Bloody Valentine”), Chris Wylde (“The Revenant”) and Catherine Annette (“Femme Fatales”). It is directed by Robert Nathan.

Latino-Review was provided an exclusive clip with a scene between Don McManus and Jay Paulson arguing after a failed sex scene.

The movie is currently in limited release in select cities.

Check out the Nsfw clip called “Mike Kicks Dave Out” below.

Oh, poor Dave, he just can't seem to catch a break. Your typical mild-mannered lover of pornography, Dave is now the winner of an online contest where he gets to sleep with a pornstar (while the cameras roll of course). But even here amongst some buxom ladies, he is, in a way, still getting the short end of the stick *ahem*.   Or, at least that's where things stand in our exclusive clip for the psychological thriller Lucky Bastard. The film is currently playing in New York and La, and though it may seem like your typical found-footage film gone wrong, it's written and directed by TV vet Robert Nathan, who had his hands on both Law & Order and ER. The film stars Jay...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Porn and thriller. What a combination!

“Lucky Bastard” pushes the boundaries of thriller cinema into the pornography business. With an Nc-17 rating, the movie looks into the scary side of the pornography business—a possible crazed maniac killer.

In a reality porn footage, a porn web site invites fans with porn stars. A young fan was given the opportunity to have sex with a famous porn star, but the cast and crew ended up with gruesome results.

The movie stars Don McManus (“The Shawshank Redemption”), Jay Paulson (“Mad Men”), Betsy Rue (“My Bloody Valentine”), Chris Wylde (“The Revenant”) and Catherine Annette (“Femme Fatales”). It is directed by Robert Nathan.

Latino-Review had an exclusive telephone interview with director Robert Nathan last week to discuss some details about the film including the actors, plot and camera work. We also got into an extensive discussion about the pornography business and MPAA ratings.

“Lucky Bastard...

We’ve all done it. A movie looks interesting, we start reading the synopsis only to realize it’s a found-footage flick, and we immediately turn and run the other direction. It’s a natural reaction as roughly 96% of all found-footage thrillers are for crap thanks to their consistently similar “plots” and utter apathy towards explaining the presence of the camera(s) in anything resembling a logical way. Which is why movies that dodge both of those bullets are deserving of a second glance. Lucky Bastard deserves that second glance. Mike (Don McManus) produces a web-based porn show called “Lucky Bastard” that picks one hopeful fan and films them having their way with a living, breathing porn star beauty. The latest winner is Dave (Jay Paulson), a shy but enthusiastic viewer whose anticipation at the prospect of having sex with Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue) leads to some premature bubbling over of excitement. That...

Ah, it's almost Valentine's Day and love is in the air! And by love, I mean the kind that gets auctioned off to one lucky pervy fan via a porn website. No, this isn't fact, it's just the premise of the Nc-17 "found footage" movie 'Lucky Bastard,' which opens in limited theatrical release on February 14th. Below we've got 2 new Nsfw clips from the feature. You can check out an exclusive 'Lucky Bastard' teaser trailer we posted a few weeks back, and Fearnet's own Scott Weinberg reviewed and gave his thoughts on 'Lucky Bastard.' 

If you're in NY, the filmmakers behind this opus Robert Nathan and executive producer/co-writer Lukas Kendall will be participating in Q&As during select screenings at Cinema Village this weekend. Can't make it to the screening? Get all your questions answered during the Lucky Bastard Reddit "Ask Me Anything" this Thursday,...

The much talked about Nc-17 flick Lucky Bastard is gearing up for release in New York City this weekend, just in time for Valentine's Day, and we have your chance to win tickets to the flick along with a signed poster! Read on for details.

Be aware the contest is open to New York Residents Only. Note my usage of caps to denote just how important that is!

To enter for your chance to win, just send us an E-mail Here including your Full Name And Mailing Address. Winners will be notified Friday Morning, February 14th!

Gotham-based indie film distribution company Cavu Pictures will be releasing the Nc-17 “found footage” feature film Lucky Bastard in theatres nationwide, beginning Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2014, in New York City at the Cinema Village (22 E. 2th Street, NY, NY 10003), and March 7, 2014, in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601). The...

The much talked about Nc-17 flick Lucky Bastard is gearing up for release in New York City this weekend, just in time for Valentine's Day. Because nothing says love like a found footage film about a dude banging his favorite porn star, am I right?

In preparation for the film's big, wet release, check out a set of new red band clips which tease the fun!

Gotham-based indie film distribution company Cavu Pictures will be releasing the Nc-17 “found footage” feature film Lucky Bastard in theatres nationwide, beginning Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2014, in New York City at the Cinema Village (22 E. 2th Street, NY, NY 10003), and March 7, 2014, in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601). The film will expand into additional cities throughout the spring.

The director and co-writer of Lucky Bastard is veteran television writer-producer Robert Nathan, best known for his Emmy-nominated work on "Law & Order,...

Found-footage thrillers share a lot of qualities with "amateur" porn — handheld cameras, unscripted reactions, and a better-than-average chance that you won't want to watch more than 10 minutes of it.

So how does Lucky Bastard, which combines the two genres, manage to be so good? A solid cast, led by Betsy Rue (as porn star Ashley Saint) and Don McManus (as producer Mike), is the key, performing a sharp, character-driven script by Lukas Kendall and director Robert Nathan.

Mike persuades Ashley to appear on his Lucky Bastard website, in which a "lucky" fan gets the chance to screw a porn star. The gag is, of course, that none of the Bastards are up to a porn-level performance, so they wind up humiliated on video.

That's definitely true of creepy Da...

“Found footage” horror and pornography – why hasn’t someone thought of this already? What a refreshing point of view considering this increasingly stale, lifeless genre – Ok, hold on, are we all watching the same horror movies? Mindless sex, fleshy nudity, and exploited women have been as prominent in horror as the killings themselves, so I’m a tad bit confused over all the “originality” praise surrounding Lucky Bastard. Sure, writer/director Robert Nathan marries sexual perversion and “found footage” tropes for a “new” type of horror, but man, we’ve all seen pornos, right? Do you really want that kind of acting on screen for an hour and a half? While they aren’t even gettin’ jiggy wit’ it? I’d love to make a punny remark about a script that blows its wad far too soon (I suppose I just did?), but without any resemblance of a satisfactory money shot,...

"This will not end well." See what happens when the adult film industry and "found footage" mix in two trailers for Lucky Bastard, the upcoming Nc-17 horror-thriller from Cavu Pictures. When the adult website Lucky Bastard runs a contest giving the winner a night with a hot porn star, the outcome turns from fantasy to horror in a deadly nightmare no one could possibly have expected. The film will be released in limited theaters on February 14th in New York, March 7th in La, and will expand into additional cities throughout the spring. In addition, you can also take a look at the latest poster.

Lucky Bastard is the story of a shy young man who wins a contest to have sex with a famous porn star on an adult website. When the young man arrives at the porno house/set location, his every move is captured on the numerous...

A new trailer is here for the upcoming cinéma vérité effort Lucky Bastard, which managed to garner itself the dreaded Nc-17 rating, and it's short and to the point. Kind of like a quickie minus the clean-up and need to pee afterwards. Check it out.

From the Press Release

Gotham-based indie film distribution company Cavu Pictures will be releasing the Nc-17 “found footage” feature film Lucky Bastard in theatres nationwide, beginning Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2014, in New York City at the Cinema Village (22 E. 2th Street, NY, NY 10003), and March 7, 2014, in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601). The film will expand into additional cities throughout the spring.

Lucky Bastard is the story of a shy young man who wins a contest to have sex with a famous porn star on an adult website. When the young man arrives at the porno house/set location, his...

One of the keys to nailing a "found footage" movie is to give your audience a good reason as to why cameras are always running -- even when mass carnage is underway. It's not always believable that a woman would hang on to a video camera while she's being chased by a raving maniac, but it is sort of believable if your horror movie is about a low-rent porno production whose very gimmick is to film everything. And, yes, the "Lucky Bastard" porno site most definitely aims to film "everything."   Surely that's enough of a hook to hang a movie on, right? Found footage, on a no-budget porno set, and the no-name nobody (aka the "lucky bastard") who gets to bed the sexy starlet is, of course, seriously unhinged and just about to explode in a tornado of impotent fury. So given that the head honcho wants everything filmed, and...

Lucky Bastard - Not Safe For Work Red Band Trailer - The funniest bloopers are right here For many independent films that are created to try and earn a buck in theaters, there is no greater death knell than the harsh MPAA rating of Nc-17, which almost guarantees low box office returns. But Lucky Bastard director Robert Nathan (Law & Order) and his co-screenwriter and producer Lukas Kendall actively sought out the harsh rating to keep their found-footage adult entertainment revenge story as raw as they needed it to be, already knowing that younger viewers shouldn.t be a part of their audience. Cavu Pictures recently penetrated the public consciousness with the film.s red band trailer, and if you thought this was going to blow all other found footage flicks out of the water.you might want to start draining the pool yourself. The story is nearly as simple and...

A new red band trailer and one-sheet has been released for Robert Nathan's upcoming found footage thriller 'Lucky Bastard'. The action revolves around a porn website that selects a lucky candidate to have filmed sex with one of their popular porn stars. But it turns out their system of selection may need some severe modifications as mild-mannered Dave (played by Jay Paulson) isn't as mild-mannered as the organisers first thought. 'Lucky Bastard' also stars Don McManus ('Grand Piano'), Chris Wylde, Catherine Annette and Betsy Rue as pornstar Ashley Saint ('My Bloody Valentine'). The movie's rated Nc-17 and will premiere on 14 February in New York and on 7 March in La. Check out the new one-sheet and Nsfw trailer below....

I know what you’re thinking, so I’ll address this right up front. Why in the world am I wasting your time with a trailer for another one of those “found footage” horror flicks? Truthfully, I have pretty high hopes for director Robert Nathan’s upcoming Nc-17 genre effort “Lucky Bastard.” And, no, it has nothing to do with the fact that it’s set against the backdrop of the adult film industry. Okay, well, kind of. But not entirely. I’m all for pushing boundaries, particularly since most horror flicks seem to offer up the same old thing time and time again. I’m not saying “Lucky Bastard” is one of those movies — after all, I haven’t seen it yet — but I think the premise is interesting enough to warrant a look. There you have it. I’ve justified to you why I write the things I do.

Okay, kids! Here's an exclusive for you cats that is so naughty that it's nice! We have the red band trailer premiere for the upcoming cinéma vérité effort Lucky Bastard, which managed to garner itself the dreaded Nc-17 rating. Check it out!

From the Press Release

Gotham-based indie film distribution company Cavu Pictures will be releasing the Nc-17 “found footage” feature film Lucky Bastard in theatres nationwide, beginning Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2014, in New York City at the Cinema Village (22 E. 2th Street, NY, NY 10003), and March 7, 2014, in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601). The film will expand into additional cities throughout the spring.

Lucky Bastard is the story of a shy young man who wins a contest to have sex with a famous porn star on an adult website. When the young man arrives at the porno house/set location, his every move is...

Ahead of its release in February, Indiewire is pleased to premiere the poster for "Lucky Bastard." Directed by Robert Nathan, the Nc-17 rated thriller follows Dave (Jay Paulson), an unsuspecting average joe who wins a contest to have sex with a famous adult film star via a porn website. Dave arrives at the set location, which is filled with numerous reality show-style cameras that capture the horrifying acts that ensue as a result of Dave's humiliation and shame.  The film's poster exhibits its emphasis on the online world, featuring what appear to be two web videos, the content of which gives off a contradictory sense of titillation and horror. Cavu Pictures is set to release the film in New York on the ironic release date of February 14. It opens in La on March 7.

Macy Gray and Ernie Hudson have both joined the cast of the Lifetime network's original movie The Grim Sleeper, which is based on the case of Los Angeles’ notorious “Grim Sleeper” serial killer. Dreama Walker will star in the film, which will be directed by Stanley M. Brooks, from a script written by Robert Nathan (Law & Order) and Teena Booth (The Drew Peterson Story). "Grim Sleeper" is the nickname for an alleged serial killer believed to be responsible for at least ten murders, since 1985. The attacker was dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because he appears to have taken a 14-year hiatus from his crimes, from 1988 to 2002. On July 7, 2010, a suspect, Lonnie David Franklin...

Exclusive: The case of Los Angeles’ notorious “Grim Sleeper” serial killer is getting a TV movie treatment with Lifetime‘s The Grim Sleeper starring Dreama Walker (Don’t Trust The B—-) and co-starring actress-singer Macy Gray (Training Day), Ernie Hudson (Call Me Crazy), and Michael O’Neill (Dallas Buyers Club). It will be directed by Stanley M. Brooks in the veteran TV movie producer’s return to the genre. In 2010, Brooks left the TV movie business after 21 years when he filed for bankruptcy as a result of a dispute with AFTRA, WGA and DGA over residuals from the Logo series Sordid Lives. Since then, he quietly took on a new career as a director with horror indie Perfect Sisters, which is awaiting release. It is fitting that Brooks’ return to the TV movie business is via Lifetime where he was a top telefilm supplier until severing ties with the...

We told you a couple of months ago that the MPAA had branded the upcoming cinéma vérité effort Lucky Bastard with the dreaded Nc-17 rating, but the show must go on, right? Check out some new video goodies and the latest one-sheet right here!

From the Press Release

Vineyard Haven, LLC, has announced the April 5, 2013, Los Angeles theatrical release of Lucky Bastard, a “found footage” thriller taking place behind the scenes of a porn website. The film is rated Nc-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America for explicit sexual content.

Lucky Bastard is the directorial debut for Robert Nathan (Law & Order), the Peabody-winning, Emmy-nominated veteran writer. The film stars Don McManus (The Shawshank Redemption) as the proprietor of a website that invites fans to have sex with porn stars. Jay Paulson ("Mad Men") plays Dave, an eager young fan given a chance to have sex with the fabulous Ashley Saint,...

Lukas Kendall Talks Lucky Bastard and the Nc-17, in select theaters starting this Friday

Lucky Bastard is a "found footage" thriller about a porn website that invites fans to have sex with porn stars. An eager young man named Dave (Jay Paulson) is given a chance to have sex with the fabulous Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue), but everyone gets more than they bargained for...To gruesome results.

Directed and co-written by Robert Nathan, the film is captured by the Lucky Bastard porn cameras for a fresh take on the "found footage" genre. We recently caught up with producer and Robert's writing partner Lukas Kendall to discuss the film, and the decision to go into theaters with an Nc-17 rating, which rarely happens nowadays.

Here is our conversation.

This is the first Nc-17 rated movie in I don't know how long. Most films re-cut instead of going forth with that dreaded rating.

Title: Lucky Bastard Director: Robert Nathan Starring: Don McManus, Jay Paulson, Betsy Rue, Chris Wylde, Catherine Annette, Lanny Joon, Lee Kholafai A fairly clever little indie film that shrewdly marries the popular but well-worn “found footage” framing device to a prurient storyline, the Nc-17-rated “Lucky Bastard” may not win any awards, but it puts an imaginative spin on what is too often a sloppy low-budget aesthetic, easily outstripping charges of empty gimmickry. After an opening consisting of crime scene footage that tips viewers off to some dark events, the rest of the film is presented as the behind-the-scenes footage from a porn shoot for a website called “Lucky Bastard,” where [ Read More ]

The post Lucky Bastard Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Lucky Bastard is going to get some theatrical play in Los Angeles on April 5th at Vintage Cinemas' Los Feliz 3 (1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027).  This was the found footage film set in the world of porn that we told you about here.

The film is the directorial debut for Robert Nathan (Law & Order), the Peabody-winning, Emmy-nominated veteran writer.  The film stars Don McManus (The Shawshank Redemption) as the proprietor of a website that invites fans to have sex with porn stars. Jay Paulson (Mad Men) plays Dave, an eager young fan given a chance to have sex with the fabulous Ashley Saint, played by Betsy Rue (My Bloody Valentine). Everyone gets more than they bargained for from the seemingly mild-mannered Dave...to gruesome results.

The film is being released with an Nc-17 rating.  Check out the trailer inside.

Read more...

Sex and violence are potentially too volatile a mixture for the MPAA to handle, and as a result everyone's least favorite parental guiders have slapped the upcoming cinéma vérité effort Lucky Bastard with the dreaded Nc-17 rating. That's okay, though; it's still heading to theatres.

From the Press Release

Vineyard Haven, LLC, has announced the April 5, 2013, Los Angeles theatrical release of Lucky Bastard, a “found footage” thriller taking place behind the scenes of a porn website. The film is rated Nc-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America for explicit sexual content.

Lucky Bastard is the directorial debut for Robert Nathan (Law & Order), the Peabody-winning, Emmy-nominated veteran writer. The film stars Don McManus (The Shawshank Redemption) as the proprietor of a website that invites fans to have sex with porn stars. Jay Paulson ("Mad Men") plays Dave, an eager young fan given a chance to have sex with the fabulous Ashley Saint,...

So wait... we have a found footage horror movie based on things going wrong in the porn industry? Yes, you officially have our attention. Bust out the lube, kids, and check out the first word, artwork, and trailer for Lucky Bastard.

Directed by Robert Nathan and produced by horror veteran Jim Wynorski, Lucky Bastard stars Don McManus, Betsy Rue, and Jay Paulson. Look for distro news soon.

Synopsis

Mike (Don McManus) runs the Lucky Bastard website; Dave (Jay Paulson) is a young fan given a chance to have sex with a porn actress, and Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue) is the porn star who reluctantly agrees to participate in the website’s “have sex with a porn star” contest. In the end everyone gets more than they bargained for when the seemingly mild-mannered Dave is irrevocably transformed by his experience. When, as Ashley predicted, Dave becomes humiliated, his personality is transformed...

There's a new found footage thriller making the rounds, and looking for a home, called Lucky Bastard.  The film takes its inspiration from those pornos in which an average Joe is selected to sleep with a real porn star on camera.  Here, the porno series is called Lucky Bastard and the average Joe turns out to be a bit..."off."

The film is directed by Robert Nathan, no stranger to television, and it stars Betsy Rue (My Bloody Valentine 3D), Don McManus, Jay Paulson (Don Draper's baby bro on Mad Men), Catharine Annette and Chris Wylde (The Revenant).  You'll find the trailer inside.  

Not surprisingly, the film was smacked with an Nc-17 rating.  For more details, visit the official site.  We'll keep you posted when this one land's distro.

Read more...

The Screen Producers Association of Australia (Spaa) has announced their first two international speakers in Joe Matukewicz and Bart Walker for the annual Spaa Conference (13-16 November) at the Hilton in Sydney.

Joe Matukewicz is Vice President of World Acquisitions, Relativity Media, leading Us independent film production and investment company, to evaluate projects for acquisitions and production for the progressive studio. He formerly worked at Vantage Pictures, Paramount Worldwide Acquisitions Group and began at Mandalay Pictures.

The second announcement, Bart Walker is a partner at Cinetic Media who has partnered with founders John Sloss and Robert Nathan on a new talent management division. An agent who represents film writers, directors and financiers with an indie film financing and distribution vision, Walker’s talent when at CAA included Sofia Coppola, John Turturro and Jim Jarmusch.

The annual Spaa Conference attracts up to 700 industry representatives from both Australia and overseas, from producers,...

Obsessive producer David O. Selznick fussed over this metaphysical celebration of wife Jennifer Jones for years before finally releasing it in 1948 to dismal boxoffice returns. One of the most haunting love stories ever to come from Hollywood, it improves on the poetic Robert Nathan novella it's based on. Beautifully shot and scored, it won an Oscar for its special effects. A unique and spiritual movie.

Two new executive producers will divide showrunner duties on USA Network's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" next season.

Robert Nathan, who has worked on the "L&O" flagship and "Svu," will run eight episodes, which will star Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Nicholson.

Walon Green, who has been a producer with the franchise since 1992, will lead the other eight with Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe.

The duo replace outgoing showrunner Warren Leight, who left the venerable procedural franchise in June to produce the HBO series "In Treatment."

Also: Tim Lea will serve as co-exec producer under Nathan, and Michael Chernuchin will be co-exec producer under Green. Executive producer/director John Coles will oversee production in New York.

"They have written hundreds of episodes of the brands' various iterations," executive producer Dick Wolf said. "By joining 'Ci,' they are providing the best of both worlds -- a new perspective and a wealth of experience with the brand. I could not ask for a better team as we embark on our eighth season."

"Criminal Intent" airs in originals on USA, with repeats running on NBC.

New York -- As Cinetic Media transforms from one of the top indie film sales and financing outfits to a one-stop shop for packaging features with new management and digital rights arms, it now has more ammo in its arsenal: a muiltimilion-dollar film-finishing fund.

Cinetic founder John Sloss said that the company has closed on financing from Aver Media to establish a fund for features in varying states of completion. It marks Cinetic's first fund of any kind.

"This is set up as a tool for us to assist filmmakers and financiers," Sloss said. "We've seen countless films that could benefit from funds such as these, and we are now in a position to help."

The new service comes on the heels of the 2007 launch of Cinetic's digital-rights management company, Crm, a platform for the sale of digital rights, and Cinetic Management, created upon the arrival of new partner Bart Walker. Partner Robert Nathan will take on a more active role with the company's new venture and Crm, which recently hired former South by Southwest Film Festival producer Matt Dentler as head of marketing and programming operations.

Through Cinetic, Sloss has forged several of the biggest indie film sales, including "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Napoleon Dynamite," and consulted on everything from capital structure to asset sales. He said the financing deal with Aver has no set time limit, and the fund will be able to add varying amounts to complete features that have begun production, an increasingly important service in the tough film financing marketplace.

"We see around 1,000 films a year and sell about 50, and we've had scores of opportunities to go into the film financing business, but we've been very disciplined about it," Sloss said. "This is our first toe in the water on any kind of investment (service). Right now we see an opportunity in the marketplace as we step up with a wide range of activities."

Aver is a private, institutionally capitalized financial company led by Peter Sussman, formerly controlling shareholder of Alliance Atlantis Communications and CEO of its Entertainment Group. Alliance Atlantis was sold last year to CanWest Global Communications and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners for $2 billion.

TORONTO -- The New York indie film scene is getting a rewrite.

In a seismic shift of power in the independent film community, CAA's top New York film agent Bart Walker is leaving the agency to join John Sloss and Robert Nathan as a partner in Cinetic Media, Manhattan's leading film sales agency. The partners will launch a talent management division called Cinetic Management.

The new Cinetic's mission is to become a one-stop shop for film production: developing clients' projects, raising money from a variety of international sources, producing and selling films (along with outside projects) to distributors. "Our move into management will allow us to have ongoing relationships with artists to complement our consulting and transactional relationships with financiers," Walker said. "We'll have the capacity to serve all their needs."

Sloss cited Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There", which carried a budget of more than $18 million, as an example of the type of dealmaking Cinetic would dive into. "It had five financiers and it was tough to finance, but it's emblematic of the way many films will be made in the future," he said. "The industry is deconsolidating from a few major players, and you need to be agile enough to adapt to it."

Walker and Sloss will oversee management, financing and sales activities, and they anticipate no strict division of labor. "It's about achieving the ideal balance of what's right for the project and what's right for the artist," Walker said.

The pair have long been two of the primary figureheads in the New York film-sales business.