Sundance premieres find buyers as festival opens

Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna reunion pic 'Rudo y Cursi' coming to a theater near you

By AP Staff Friday, Jan 16, 2009 6:23 PM

Sundance flicks get shown the money before their debuts

Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna reunite in the Mexican hit "Rudo y Cursi."

Credit: Sundance Institute

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Even before the official start of the Sundance Film Festival, there has been action on the acquisitions front for films playing at the independent-cinema showcase.

HBO has picked up U.S. television rights to the documentary "Burma VJ," which uses footage from underground video journalists capturing the 2007 uprising of Buddhist monks against the Myanmar government.

The film by Danish director Anders Ostergaard has its North American premiere Saturday after debuting last fall at documentary festivals in Europe.

Sony Pictures Classics has bought North American rights to "Rudo y Cursi," a hit in Mexico that premieres at Sundance on Friday. Directed by Carlos Cuaron, the comic drama reunites "Y Tu Mama Tambien" co-stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as brothers who wind up as soccer rivals.