Monday, January 22----In one of the few deals announced here for a fiction feature (documentaries have been getting all the action so far), The Weinstein Company has announced its acquisition of worldwide rights to GRACE IS GONE, screening in the US Dramatic Film Competition here. The film, directed by James C. Strouse, stars John Cusack in a departure from his useful laconic screen self, as a father who is overwhelmed when he gets news that his wife has been killed in the Iraq War. The film is one of the first fiction pieces that draws on the Iraqi conflict and its effect on the home front.

The deal, reportedly at $4 million for worldwide rights, was negotiated by Michael Cole, The Weinstein Company's co-head of productin and Michelle Krumm, Executive VP of Acquisitions. Representing the film's producers was uber-lawyer John Sloss of Cinetic Media along with representatives from the William Morris Agency. GRACE IS GONE was produced by Cusack's New Crime Productions and Plum Pictures. The Weinstein Company plans to release the film later this year, and is eyeing a Cannes Film Festival slot for the political/human drama.

Sandy Mandelberger
Sundance Online Dailies Editor