"Che" goes to IFC Films.

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By Alison Willmore on 09/10/2008

Filed under: In the works

It looks like those rumors that Steven Soderbergh's "Che" was going to be released by Magnolia Pictures were just that -- this is from the freshest press release:

IFC Films has acquired all North American rights to Steven Soderbergh's epic "Che" starring Benicio Del Toro, produced by Laura Bickford and Benicio Del Toro and written by Peter Buchman. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival where Benicio Del Toro won the Best Actor Prize. It is currently screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be screening next at the New York Film Festival.
"Che" will be released for one week awards qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles in December. The company will then re-open the film in January through IFC In Theaters, its day-and-date distribution platform which makes independent films available to a national audience in theaters and on-demand, simultaneously. It will also be included in the company's exclusive video rental deal with Blockbuster Video.

IFC Films' (which is, yes, a sister company of IFC's) on-demand platform is certainly one way around "Che"'s runtime and the theatrical distribution challenges it poses, But while I liked "Che" a lot, it's no easy viewing experience, and I have trouble imagining making it through the film in a home-viewing situation. I am looking forward to seeing it again at the New York Film Festival in a few weeks.

[Photo: "Che," IFC Films, 2008]

Tags: Che, Steven Soderbergh