[phileysmiley]

<img src="http://parcom.pronetworks.org/images/0130amer.jpg" align="right" alt="an american crime"></img><font color="maroon">by Larry Richman </font>
<font color="gray" size="1">February 14, 2008 5:49 PM</font>

<a href="http://www.pronetworks.org/forum/story88327.html" target="_blank"><em>An American Crime</em></a> was one of my <a href="http://www.pronetworks.org/forum/story100642.html" target="_blank">25 Top Picks of 2007</a>. I was blown away by this breathtaking work when I attended the World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by Tommy O'Haver and based on a true story, this eagerly awaited film boasts an all-star cast featuring Ellen Page (<em>Juno</em>, <em>Hard Candy</em>), Catherine Keener (<em>Into the Wild</em>), and Michael Welch (<em>Twilight</em>, <em>Joan of Arcadia</em>).

After months of speculation and on-again off-again release plan changes, we finally have a resolution to the negotiations. The bad news is, <em>An American Crime</em> is not going to be released in theaters after all. The good news is, it's not going straight-to-DVD either. It is going to Showtime. Why is this good news? Here is writer/director Tommy O'Haver's take on it, in his own words.

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<em>"An American Crime" will be premiering on Showtime later this year. Probably March or May. Many seem disappointed that there will be no theatrical release -- this was certainly not the original plan, after all.

We had a very complicated situation with our distributor First Look. There were offers from other companies, but First Look wouldn't sell the movie to a theatrical venue -- they felt it was in their financial interest to retain DVD rights at all costs. At the same time, they did not want to spend any money on a theatrical release -- even with Ellen Page's recent Academy Award nomination! Quite simply, they felt the film