Snapping them up at Sundance

Single-digit temperatures in Park City, Utah, have not deterred dealmakers from heating up Main Street with a spate of acquisitions highlighting the first half of the Sundance Film Festival.

Miramax and Fox Searchlight struck a joint deal to distribute “Garden State,” a romantic comedy written and directed by “Scrubs” star Zach Braff, who also stars. Separately, Fox Searchlight picked up Utah filmmaker Jared Hess’ quirky comedy “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Walter Salles’ Spanish-language “Motorcycle Diaries,” based on the journals of Alberto Granado and featuring Gael Garcia Bernal (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”) as Che Guevara, was acquired by Focus Features.

The current vogue for documentaries was illustrated by Sony Pictures Classics’ quick acquisition of the opening night film, Stacy Peralta’s ode to surfing pioneers, “Riding Giants.” Sony Classics also released Peralta’s “Dogtown and Z-Boys.”

“Open Water,” a sea-based thriller that festival wags refer to as “Blair Witch” meets “Jaws,” was acquired by Lions Gate.

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