SUNDANCE: A trio of documentaires are first pick ups (IW)

By Nancy Vialatte

Several acquisitions were announced on the first day of the Sundance Film Festival. indieWIRE reports that HBO has picked up US TV rights to Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Elvis Mitchell's "The Black List: Volume One"; Fortissimo has taken worldwide sales on closing night film �CSNY Deja Vu� and Zeitgeist Films has Yung Chang's acclaimed first feature, "Up The Yangtze."

All three were documentary pick ups.

�Black List� premieres on Tuesday in the Spectrum section and is described as being "composed of dramatic portraits of some of today's most fascinating and influential African-American icons," including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sean Combs, Mahlon Duckett, Thelma Golden, Lou Gossett, Jr., Bill T. Jones, Vernon Jordan, Marc Morial, Toni Morrison, Suzanne-Lori Parks, Richard Parsons, Colin Powell, Susan Rice, Chris Rock, Al Sharpton, Lorna Simpson, Slash, Dawn Staley, Faye Wattleton, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Zane.

The doc is set to be part of what is described as a "multifaceted project that includes a traveling exhibit, portrait book and a user-generated campaign designed for multiple platforms." The film is produced by Mitchell, Greenfield-Sanders and Michael Slap Sloane A source close to the film told indieWIRE that HBO is planning a limited Oscar qualifying theatrical release and that a separate DVD deal is currently in the works.

�CSNY� is a look at Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 2007 "Freedom of Speech Tour." Directed by Neil Young, using the name Bernard Shakey, the film was produced by Young's Shakey Pictures.

�Yangtze" is a documentary about the effects of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam that is displacing millions and destroying national landmarks. Its U.S. premiere is today in Sundance's world documentary competition and it will be released theatrically by Zeitgeist in April.