Tribute honors Rothman's indie pic roots

RothmanThose who do not know Tom Rothman, chairman and Boss of Fox Shot Entertainment, the organization behind "Avatar," "Rise from the Planet from the Apes" and "The X-Males" franchise, may be surprised at the mogul's presence only at that year's Gotham Independent Film Honours.But Rothman's acceptance from the Gotham Industry Tribute signifies both a homecoming for that studio honcho, and, because he describes it, a "continuation" of his current activities at large Fox.Within the eighties, Rothman got his begin in the film business working in the Gotham entertainment lawyer Frankfurt, Garbus, Klein & Selz. He symbolized Jim Jarmusch on "Stranger Than Paradise," and assisted produce his 1986 follow-up "Lower legally,Inch and labored with your other emerging auteurs as Bill Sherwood, Robert Frank and Spike Lee."I learned then exceptional filmmakers are actually excellent movies," states Rothman. "It is the life blood of the items I actually do everyday during my job: Attempt to pair the best talent using the right material."Later, following a stint at Columbia, Rothman labored in the Samuel Goldwyn Co., where he assisted launch the careers of other indie stalwarts, for example Anthony Minghella and Ang Lee."Tom would like to quote Shakespeare's 'Henry V' saying, 'once more in to the breach' when dealing with tough indie films," recalls Samuel Goldwyn Films' current leader Meyer Gottlieb. "He loved the task.InchThese days, Rothman is quick to indicate that his indie roots continue to be firmly established within the entertianment biz. For example, Fox is dealing with Lee on the three dimensional adaptation from the bestseller "Existence of Pi." "I do not contemplate it going full circle over a continuation," states Rothman. "And trust me, 'Life of Pi' is really as independent minded as 'Down legally.A "Rothman also runs Fox Searchlight Pictures, the niche division he founded in 1994, and that they and also the parent company still support totally."The main reason I really like my job is I have reached focus on films of shapes and dimensions," he states. "At this time, I am splitting time among 'The Descendents' and 'Shame,' a brand new film by Cameron Crowe, along with a crazy R-ranked comedy, and guess what happens, they've got more in keeping these days.InchViewers don't worry about just how much a film costs, they are concerned about how exactly it can make them feel."RELATED LINKS Gotham kudos mix star energy with low-budget indies Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com