by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE

Paramount Pictures has acquired Sundance dramatic competition feature "Hustle & Flow" by Craig Brewer as part of a three-film $16 million package deal with producer John Singleton, the studio announced Sunday. Paramount will release the film in cooperation with corporate sibling MTV this summer. Ruth Vitale and David Dinerstein, co-presidents of Paramount Classics, spearheaded the deal with Jeremy Barber, Richard Klubeck, and Jeremy Zimmer of UTA, repping the movie. It is the biggest monetary sale to come out of Sundance since Miramax's reported $10 million acquisition of "Happy Texas" in 1999. The pact involved the top execs at the studio, specialty division Paramount Classics, and MTV. A Paramount spokesperson told indieWIRE that execs at the company including new studio chief Brad Gray, COO Rob Friedman, production president Donald DeLine, marketing president Gerry Rich, and home entertainment president Tom Lesinski, not to mention Viacom co-president Tom Freston and MTV exec VP David Gale were also intricately involved with the pact.

[A scene from Craig Brewer's "Hustle & Flow." Photo courtesy 2005 Sundance Film Festival.]

As part of the high-dollar package, including the $9 million deal for worldwide rights to "Hustle & Flow," is financing for two forthcoming projects to be produced by filmmaker John Singleton, each budgeted at $3.5 million. Directors have not yet been named for the two future projects that Singleton will produce.

"Paramount and MTV offered the best overall deal and [they] will make the [release] a home-run for us," commented Stephanie Allain, who along with Singleton, produced the film. In a conversation with indieWIRE on Sunday, she continued, "Craig [Brewer] is a genius, and I'm thrilled to be a part of his journey." When asked how she felt to be a part of one of the largest deals to come out of Sundance, Allain said she was "ecstatic." Paramount Classics co-president David Dinerstein echoed Allain's sentiments about the pact and the movie.

"It's a great [and] unprecedented deal. ["Hustle & Flow"] is the best film at this festival." David Dinerstein told indieWIRE, adding that MTV Films was a key part in bringing the film deal together.

Sundance chief Geoffrey Gilmore's described "Hustle & Flow," in the festival catalog, as the story of Djay (Terrence Howard), a "pimp suffering a midlife crisis and although nominally successful, he yearns to record his flow and become a respected rapper. Galvanized by a gospel song, he sets his dream in motion – recruiting his motley crew and building a studio in his home. And though he succeeds in putting his rap, 'It's Hard for a Pimp,' onto tape, the barriers to fame and fortune are many, and getting there becomes an elusive goal."

Van Toffler, president of MTV and MTV Films told indieWIRE he believed the film will add to the recent successful track-record of the popular cable network's film division. "Coming on the heels of 'Napoleon Dynamite,' ['Hustle & Flow'] will be [great] alternative release to the summer blockbusters. The film will appeal to MTV's demographic," said Toffler. "The film is about people fulfilling their dreams through hip hop, which is the most popular music for MTV's audience right now."

MTV Films is a company that is popping up as a player in other potential Sundance pacts as well. Given the successful screenings of Henry-Alex Rubin & Dana Adam Shapiro "Murderball," MTV Films is one of the companies in talks to partner with THINKFilm on a big release of the popular Sundance documentary, according to a source close to the film. Other companies and financiers are also in the mix with a unique pact similar to the partnership for "Fahrenheit 9/11" said to be in the works.

Insiders are also keeping an eye on David LaChapelle's "Rize," a doc that Paramount Classics is understood to be high on. Asked about the film Sunday, two days after Friday's wildly successful first screening, company co-president David Dinerstein said that he loved the doc, calling it "a wonderful, uplifting film." MTV Films is seen as an obvious partner should the Indiewood company take on the film from the acclaimed music video director.

Another hot Sundance doc is Dan Klores & Ron Berger's "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story." A domestic rights deal for the movie will be announced on Monday morning by a leading cable network. The deal announcement was embargoed at press time and will be published on indieWIRE.com early Monday.

[indieWIRE's Park City coverage, including acquisitions news, is updated throughout the day in our new Park City section at http://www.indiewire.com.]