Sunday, September 7--------Has Che, the 4 hour plus biopic of revolutionary Che Guevera, finally found a U.S. distributor? The film, directed by Stephen Soderbergh and starring Benicio del Toro, left the Cannes Film Festival with no takers. Aside from the serious subject matter, one of the difficulties was Soderbergh's insistence on releasing the film in two parts, with six months in between....a huge gamble.

Word comes from Lou Lumenick, senior film critic for the New York Post that Magnolia Pictures has stepped up to the plate to distribute the film in the United States. The deal is expected to be announced shortly for the two-part biopic of the Argentine guerilla who worked with Fidel Castro.

A slightly shorter version -- 4 hour 22 minutes total -- will be showing here in Toronto and next month at the New York Film Festival. In New York, the film will be shown in its entirety with an intermission in between. In other words, bring both your lunch and your dinner.

Sandy Mandelberger, Toronto FF Dailies Editor