Soderbergh's epic 'Che' lands US distributor

IFC Films announced Wednesday it acquired domestic rights to the two-part, 4½-hour saga, which stars Benicio Del Toro as the Argentine doctor who became one of the heroes of Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution.

The film will play a one-week qualifying run in Los Angeles and New York in December for Oscar consideration. It will reopen in theaters in January and be available to cable and satellite subscribers through IFC's movies-on-demand service.

"Che" earned Del Toro the best-actor prize in May at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film premiered. The acquisition was announced at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "Che" also screened.

"'Che' is nothing less than the film event of the year," said Jonathan Sehring, IFC Films president. "By giving us the rise and fall of one of the great icons of history, Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro, who gives an incredible soulful performance, have humanized him and given audiences around the world something that will be discussed for years to come."