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The Oldenburg Film Festival has picked two iconoclast filmmakers to honor for its 30th anniversary edition: French actor/director Isild Le Besco and Canadian producer Jen Gatien. Both women have carved out unique paths in independent cinema, defying conventions and expectations.

Le Besco has worked in front of the camera since she was eight, and by her early 20s was already a face of French auteur cinema, with two César nominations — for her performances in Benoît Jacquot’s Sade (2000) and Cédric Kahn’s Roberto Succo (2001) and a best actress honor in Venice for Jacquot’s L’Intouchable (2006).

Her directorial debut, 2004’s Demi-Tarif (Half-Price), the story of three young siblings, Romeo (Kolia Litscher), Launa (Lila Salet), and the youngest, Leo (Cindy David), left on their own in a rundown Paris apartment, was an unmediated look into the world of childhood and drew praise from the likes of Mia Hansen-Løve, whose review,...

In the indie noir thriller, Simon Killer, rising director Antonio Campos shows us that darkness can survive and grow even in the City of Lights. Hopefully, in his next effort will be able to show us the depth of its roots.

Given the buzz for Campos' debut film Afterschool (which was nominated for a Independent Spirit Award in 2008), the anticipatory talk was high for this follow-up feature which mixes American actor Brady Corbet (Mysterious Skin) with a French cast, including actresses Mati Diop (who shares credit as one of the film's screenwriters) and Lila Salet. Already know for his visual pallet and ability draw viewers into his cinematic vision, Campos caused a notable buzz at Sundance with Simon Killer ahead of its select Us release (April 12th in Los Angeles, April 26 in San Francisco, May 5, Seattle.)

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Antonio Campos and Brady Corbet Talk Simon Killer, in theaters and on VOD now

Director Antonio Campos burst onto the scene in 2008 with his critically-acclaimed debut Afterschool. After producing his Borderline Films partner Sean Durkin's debut Martha Marcy May Marlene, the filmmaker is back with his second feature Simon Killer, which is currently playing in theaters and available on VOD formats. Brady Corbet stars as the title character, a recent college graduate who heads to Paris and becomes enamored with a prostitute (Mati Diop), a relationship that heads down a dark path very quickly. I recently had the chance to speak with both Antonio Campos and Brady Corbet over the phone about this new indie drama. Here's what they had to say.

I read that you secured financing in an unusual way. You were seeking more funding for Martha Marcy May Marlene, and this became funded as well. That's...

With Simon Killer, Brady Corbet makes his leading man debut giving a fearless and haunting performance opposite Mati Diop. Our exclusive clip puts some of that talent on display, in this story about a heartbroken man whose relationship with an exotic hooker leads to blackmail, betrayal and the ultimate revelation of Simon's true nature.

Simon Killer - Exclusive "Staying for a Week"

Recently heartbroken, Simon travels to Paris to clear his head. After several days of wandering aimlessly, Simon finds himself drawn into a hostess bar and has a sexual encounter with Victoria, the exotic prostitute. The chemistry builds between the two until they find themselves in a serious relationship, one that leads to murder! Now playing in New York, Simon Killer will open in Los Angeles and become available on VOD April 12.

Simon Killer comes to theaters April 12th, 2013 and stars Brady Corbet, Nicolas Ronchi, Constance Rousseau, Lila Salet,...

IFC Films has released the first trailer for writer/director Antonio Campos' Simon Killer . Check it out in the player below, courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers . The film follows a recent college graduate who goes to Paris after breaking up with his girlfriend of five years. His life should be open-ended and full of promise, but he can't shake his feelings of loss. Being a stranger in a strange land only aggravates his situation. When he falls in love with a young mysterious prostitute, a fateful journey begins, though we soon learn that Simon is the one with deeper secrets. Simon Killer stars Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Michael Abiteboul, Constance Rousseau and Lila Salet and hits theaters on April 5.

The AFI Film Fest (11.01-11.08) have announced the line-ups for our favorite sections at the fest in the Young American selections and New Auteurs section and they’ve managed to stack up on titles that are amongst the year’s best and which in the case of two films were mysteriously passed over by the likes of Telluride, Tiff and Nyff. Michel Franco’s After Lucia (see pic above) and Antonio Campos’ Simon Killer will be making the Los Angeles premieres accompanied by the best title to come out of the Main Comp at this year’s Cannes edition in Sergei Loznitsa’s In the Fog. This trio will be joined by a trio of gems that recently premiered at Tiff in: Maja Miloš’ Clip, Gabriela Pichler’s Eat Sleep Die and Tobias Lindholm’s A Hijacking. In the Young American Selections we find some filmmakers (Sean Baker and Amy...

Lay the Favorite

The Weinstein Company has made its first and only acquisition of this year's Sundance Film Festival, acquiring Stephen Frears' "Lay the Favorite" for a VOD release.

Rebecca Hall plays a stripper turned numbers bookie in Las Vegas. Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson and Laura Prepon also star. [Source: Reuters]

Simon Killer

IFC has acquired North American rights to Antonio Campos’ "Simon Killer"

Brady Corbet stars as a sociopath in Paris who befriends a prostitute. Mati Diop, Michael Abiteboul, Constance Rousseau and Lila Salet also star. [Source: Screen Daily]

Middle of Nowhere

Participant Media and Affrm have jointly acquired Us theatrical rights to Ava DuVernay’s "Middle Of Nowhere".

The story follows a woman’s struggle to keep marriage alive with her incarcerated husband. Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick and Lorraine Toussaint also star. [Source: Screen Daily]

2 Days in New York, Compliance, Nobody Walks

Magnolia Pictures has picked up three more films from...

Sundance 2012 no longer has a corner on the acquisitions news market as it’s being reported out of the Miami International Film Festival that director Alejandro Brugues’ (Personal Belongings) Cuban zombie flick, Juan of the Dead has been picked up by Outsider Pictures. The festival, which runs March 2nd to the 11th, will be the first theatrical screening under the banner. Outsider is planning a theatrical release in Miami soon after the festival with Focus World releasing the picture later in 2012 on VOD, DVD and other formats. From Sundance, THR reports that IFC Films has picked up the domestic rights to director Antonio Campos’ Simon Killer, a dark drama starring Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Michael Abiteboul, Constance Rousseau and Lila Salet. The sexually explicit film about an American man falling for a Parisian prostitute may earn itself an Nc-17 rating. Hit the jump for the press release for Juan of the Dead.

Update #1: Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have picked up Arbitrage and IFC Films has acquired Liberal Arts. Both films are listed at the beginning of Page 3. Update #2: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Samuel Goldwyn Films are partnering on the U.S. theatrical release of Robot & Frank, which stars Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler and Peter Saarsgard. I have also added it to Page 3 along with a look at Langella in the film. Update #3: Magnolia Pictures has picked up the horror collaboration V/H/S bringing directors Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg and Ti West together for a new horror anthology. I have added a preview for the film to Page 3. Update #4: IFC Films has picked up distribution rights to Simon Killer. Details on the film can be found at the bottom of Page 3. Update #5:...

IFC Films has closed a deal to take North American rights to director Antonio Campos' dark drama Simon Killer. Killer, which bowed Jan. 20 at the Eccles Theatre in the fest's U.S. dramatic competition, centers on a young American man who visits Paris after breaking up with his girlfriend and falls for a mysterious prostitute. The film stars Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Michael Abiteboul, Constance Rousseau and Lila Salet. Campos also wrote the script for the project, which was produced by Josh Mond, Sean Durkin and Matt Palmieri. UTA and CAA handled the sale for the filmmakers. THR film critic Todd McCarthy

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An instance of radical lo-fi homespun cinema: actress Isild Le Besco's short feature directorial debut, Demi-tarif. It stars four children, two young girls (Cindy David, Lila Salet), a boy (Kolia Litscher)...and Le Besco's camera. The three actors, each character from a different father, are stranded in Paris without their mother, and the only supervision they have is by the filmmaker's handheld, consumer Dv camera (shot by the director's brother). The camera naturally becomes a spiritual and physical collaborator and cohort in the children's free-wheeling bohemian existence. They steal food and clown and play—not at being a real family, but at playing at being a family (or an enclave or a utopia).

The tender magnificence of this small video is that Le Besco and her collaborators—as there can be no doubt the children in their camera-aware parading are co-authors of the film—are not filming a fantasy film,...