A while back I mentioned the strife between Miramax
and Disney and foolishly predicted that Weinstein would not dare leave the
company. Well, now that we have The Weinstein Company running around I have
been constantly trying to forget my prediction. What can I say, I thought
the guy was too connected to Disney and would remain just to keep his stake
with Dimension Films. Hell, Miramax is even named after Harvey Weinstein's
parents; Miriam and Max.
With the loss of Weinstein, Miramax sits like a parent whose favorite child
has run away. Or, at least, it used to. Though the company may have lost
a good portion of talent, the new acting president, Daniel Battsek, has
done a couple moves to at least keep the company in the spotlight.
Miramax Shoots Hoops with Heart of the Game
In a report from Variety,
Daniel Battsek has announced that Miramax has confirmed a deal to acquire
the North American rights to girls' basketball documentary titled The
Heart of the Game, currently being featured at the Toronto Film Festival
by Cinetic Media.
Miramax was said to have paid in the neighborhood
of $1 million for the rights to The Heart of the Game.
Heart of the Game is directed and penned by Ward Serrill and tells
the story of Seattle's rowdy Roosevelt Roughriders high-school basketball
team and one specific player's fight to regain her eligibility to play.
"It's a perfect title for the Miramax label, and I believe that audiences
everywhere will respond with the same enthusiasm as they did at the world
premiere in Toronto," Battsek said.
Though this film could be a nice move for Daniel Battsek, he is not putting
all his eggs in one basket. Battsek had been quietly bidding on a number
of other films at Toronto, including films such as Tsotsi and Sketches
of Frank Gehry.
How will Miramax survive without its firstborn?
Well, it is much too early tell.
For the entire report on Daniel Battsek and Miramax, head over to Variety.
Miramax 
Add to Heffee!
