Fox Searchlight Comes On Strong

Fox Searchlight, the specialty arm of Twentieth Century Fox, has made two big purchases at the Sundance Film Festival that should figure in next year’s awards season. THE SURROGATE introduces a formidable new talent in writer/director Ben Lewin. His film, based on a true story, is a lovely, emotionally involving film which gives plumb parts to its chief protagonists John Hawkes (Oscar nominee for WINTER’S BONE) and Oscar winner Helen Hunt. The story is about a man turning 40 who has spent most of his adult life confined to an iron lung due to a childhood bout with polio. Although he is an accomplished journalist and poet, he longs to feel the sensation of a sexual encounter. He finds his way to a sex surrogate who awakens not only his sexual prowess but his poetic capacity for joy. The company has also secured rights to what many are calling the leading candidate for the Best American Independent Film prize here. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is an expressionistic tale set in the Louisiana bayou by writer/director Benh Zeitin. Telling his story through the eyes of a six year old girl who prepares to leave her safe haven as a series of unexplained cosmic events happen to her and her family. The film is being praised for its visual dexterity, high caliber acting and its mythological subtext. Look for both films to be indie hits this coming season.

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