'Don Verdean' bought by Lionsgate; Showtime acquires 'Dreamcatcher'

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The 2015 Sundance Film Festival doesn't get started until tonight, and already the deals are happening.

The North American rights for the comedy "Don Verdean," directed by Utah's own Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite") and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, have been secured by Lionsgate, The Hollywood Reporter has reported.

The movie, about a biblical archaeologist (Sam Rockwell) caught up in a fraud scheme, will have its premiere next Wednesday.

This morning, Showtime announced it has acquired the rights to the documentary "Dreamcatcher." Director Kim Longinotto's gritty film, which follows a Chicago woman's efforts to get prostitutes to leave the streets, is playing in the World Cinema Documentary competition.