Ang Lee is "Taking Woodstock", but how did this movie wind up in his hands?
It's set for a premiere in New York on June 26, 2009, just in time for the 40th anniversary of the famous Woodstock concert .
Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, FILM
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NULL (2008-09-28)
Alot of Ang Lee fans wonder just who is James Schamus and what role does he play in Lee's films. Here one answer for the curious, from VARIETY, by David Hafetz, edited for space: Ang Lee collaborator on TAKING WOODSTOCK mixes artistry, business skills James Schamus -- a fast-talking New Yorker with a weakness for bow ties and bookish round glasses -- is frequently described as an intellectual, even an egghead. He moonlights as a professor at Columbia U., where he teaches film theory. A mini-mogul, veteran screenwriter and award-winning producer, Focus Features CEO Schamus doesn't do it all, but he comes close. Since placing his doctoral thesis on the back burner two decades ago to dive into the nascent independent film movement, Schamus, 49, has played key roles in writing, financing and producing some of the more memorable recent American films, which is why he will receive the Woodstock Film Festival's Trailblazer Award this month. The laurel recognizes his diverse skills and contributions to cinema, including his work on all of director Ang Lee's features, from "Wedding Banquet" to "Ice Storm" to "Brokeback Mountain." Although he's spent much of his career helping create and fund risky films that otherwise might not have been greenlighted -- "Brokeback" being a case in point -- the playful Schamus demurs when asked if he considers his work trailblazing. "It depends," he says, "on how you define 'trail' and 'blaze.' " Meira Blaustein, Woodstock Festival's co-founder and executive director, is more effusive about Schamus' work. "These are very high-quality projects that really do add to our world," says Blaustein, adding that Schamus embodies a unique blend of writer, producer, studio exec and Ivy League prof. "That's a lot for one person, and it really puts him among the best," Blaustein says. "He's also nice and friendly." Together, Lee and Schamus have worked on 10 films together, including the upcoming "Taking Woodstock." Schamus says he and Lee complement each other. Through ups and downs, they have continued collaborating, inspired partly, Schamus says, by their mutual commitment to "not fall in a rut." "The whole point is to not do something people have done before," Schamus explains. As a producer faced with tough sells, he has consistently wrangled financing by courting international investors and selling rights abroad. He's been known to pay close attention to contract details and even devised the marketing campaign for "Crouching Tiger." And on the subject of trailblazing -- which at past festivals has gone to the likes of Jonathan Sehring of IFC Entertainment and Ted Sarandos of Netflix -- the quick-witted academic can't resist a parting parse. "I'm really much more of a footpath bender," he says.
NULL (2008-09-28)
Alot of Ang Lee fans wonder just who is James Schamus and what role does he play in Lee's films. Here one answer for the curious, from VARIETY, by David Hafetz, edited for space: Ang Lee collaborator on TAKING WOODSTOCK mixes artistry, business skills James Schamus -- a fast-talking New Yorker with a weakness for bow ties and bookish round glasses -- is frequently described as an intellectual, even an egghead. He moonlights as a professor at Columbia U., where he teaches film theory. A mini-mogul, veteran screenwriter and award-winning producer, Focus Features CEO Schamus doesn't do it all, but he comes close. Since placing his doctoral thesis on the back burner two decades ago to dive into the nascent independent film movement, Schamus, 49, has played key roles in writing, financing and producing some of the more memorable recent American films, which is why he will receive the Woodstock Film Festival's Trailblazer Award this month. The laurel recognizes his diverse skills and contributions to cinema, including his work on all of director Ang Lee's features, from "Wedding Banquet" to "Ice Storm" to "Brokeback Mountain." Although he's spent much of his career helping create and fund risky films that otherwise might not have been greenlighted -- "Brokeback" being a case in point -- the playful Schamus demurs when asked if he considers his work trailblazing. "It depends," he says, "on how you define 'trail' and 'blaze.' " Meira Blaustein, Woodstock Festival's co-founder and executive director, is more effusive about Schamus' work. "These are very high-quality projects that really do add to our world," says Blaustein, adding that Schamus embodies a unique blend of writer, producer, studio exec and Ivy League prof. "That's a lot for one person, and it really puts him among the best," Blaustein says. "He's also nice and friendly." Together, Lee and Schamus have worked on 10 films together, including the upcoming "Taking Woodstock." Schamus says he and Lee complement each other. Through ups and downs, they have continued collaborating, inspired partly, Schamus says, by their mutual commitment to "not fall in a rut." "The whole point is to not do something people have done before," Schamus explains. As a producer faced with tough sells, he has consistently wrangled financing by courting international investors and selling rights abroad. He's been known to pay close attention to contract details and even devised the marketing campaign for "Crouching Tiger." And on the subject of trailblazing -- which at past festivals has gone to the likes of Jonathan Sehring of IFC Entertainment and Ted Sarandos of Netflix -- the quick-witted academic can't resist a parting parse. "I'm really much more of a footpath bender," he says.
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