Rewinding the past seven days of the wonderful world of independent films:

Deals. Twilight fans will have the opportunity to see Kristen Stewart in a different type of role later this year. In Udayan Prasad's The Yellow Handkerchief, based on a story by Pete Hamill, Stewart jumps into a stranger's car. She and the driver (Eddie Redmayne) are soon joined by a newly-released convict (William Hurt) as they travel through rural Louisiana toward a hoped-for reunion with the ex-con's beloved (Maria Bello). Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights and is planning a theatrical release, according to indieWIRE.

Hans-Christian Schmid's legal thriller Storm will also hit theaters later this year, indieWIRE says, courtesy of Film Movement. Kerry Fox stars as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague; she must convince a witness (Anamaria Marinca from 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) to testify in order to convict a former officer of war crimes.

Box Office. Arriving with this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in hand, Yojiro Takita's Departures took the #1 spot among indies. Set in and around a Japanese business tasked with preparing bodies for burial, the drama earned $8,327 per screen at the nine theaters where it opened in New York and Los Angeles, Box Office Mojo reports.

Also performing well in its debut weekend, Pressure Cooker grossed $8,151 at one theater in New York. The documentary, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker, follows a high school culinary arts class in Northeast Philadelphia, where teacher Wilma Stephenson tries to help her students earn college scholarships. We've embedded the fiery trailer below.

After the jump: Outfest lineup, plus Transformers 2 in Los Angeles.

The key players from the indie film world will be gathered together in Cannes for the next 10 days. Look for our daily roundups of news each night, titled "Cannes in 60 Seconds." But first, what's been happening during the past week?

Deals. Oliver Hirschbiegel's drama Five Minutes of Heaven, starring Liam Neeson, has been acquired by IFC Films, according to indieWIRE. IFC will release the film, which "explores aspects of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles,'" simultaneously in theaters and VOD in August. Michael Meredith's drama The Open Road has been picked up by Anchor Bay, again per indieWIRE. Justin (Motherlover) Timberlake stars as a man who tries to effect a reconciliation between his dying mother (Mary Steenburgen) and his estranged father (Jeff Bridges). Release plans have not yet been announced. I Love You Phillip Morris, a gay con man prison romance, has secured distribution via the fledgling Consolidated Pictures Group, says Variety. The picture stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. A release is planned for next Valentine's Day.

Box Office. While mainstream audiences trekked into theaters, indie film lovers divided up their love, resulting in less than stellar results for new releases. We've embedded the trailer below for Outrage, Kirby Dick's new doc, which inspired hypocrisy by NPR; it made $6,518 per-screen at five locations. Little Ashes, with gay love scenes by Twilight's Robert Pattinson, averaged $6,116 per-screen at 12 theaters. Julia, featuring Tilda Swinton's extraordinary performance, took in $4,175 per-screen at three cinemas. Jim Jarmusch's excellent, exquisite The Limits of Control expanded into eight more theaters and grossed $4,153 per screen, a drop of just 18.2%. [Box Office Mojo.]

After the jump: Festival heads talk about the future; AFI Fest in Los Angeles will be (almost entirely) free.

Let's start this week's Indie Roundup by noting Eugene Novikov's fine article on seven indies that deserve a little love in the next few months. Beyond his picks, my indie summer begins with Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control. Jarmusch is an idiosyncratic director who continues to riff on some of the same themes that have occupied his subtle, haunting, and beautiful films since the 1980s. His latest, photographed by Christopher Doyle, follows a mysterious loner (Isaach De Bankolé) who journeys across Spain. It opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday before expanding in the following weeks.

Deals. Zheng Wei's drama Fish Eyes, which is screening this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, has been picked up by Benten/Watchmaker Films. Shot on a tiny budget with non-professional actors, and set during the period between the Sichuan earthquake and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the film revolves around a father, his son, and a mysterious woman who enters their lives. Fish Eyes is the debut of director Zheng, and also represents the debut plunge into theatrical waters for Benten. The company acquired all North American, UK, and European rights for the film.

Box Office. Playing on one screen, Nursery University resided at the top of the indie charts last weekend, according to Box Office Mojo, grossing $11,307. Directed by Marc H. Simon and Matthew Makar, the documentary aims to provide "a good-humored look at the oddly competitive environment of nursery school admissions," where the annual tuition is upwards of $20,000. James Toback's doc Tyson opened on seven screens and enjoyed decent returns (7,731 per-screen average), with Paolo Sorrentino's biopic Il Divo close behind ($6,934 each at two screens).

After the jump: LAAPFF!

In this week's edition of Indie Roundup, the headline says it all.

Deals. Nominated this year for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category, Uli Edel's The Baader-Meinhof Complex has been acquired for US theatrical distribution by Vitagraph Films, according to indieWIRE. Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek, and Bruno Ganz star in a film that "dramatizes the history of the real-life West German terrorist group Red Army Faction (RAF), which rose to violent action against the German political status quo in the late 1960s." Current plans are for a platform release in August, with 18 of the top 20 markets targeted. When the film opened in the UK last fall, David Hudson compiled the mixed critical reaction at GreenCine Daily. We've embedded the action-packed trailer below.

Lance Daly's Kisses, described as an Irish "romantic coming-of-age film," will see release later this year, courtesy of Oscilloscope Releasing, per indieWIRE. Kelly O'Neill and Shane Curry star as "two kids who run away from their abusive homes and set off to Dublin," seeking a better life. HollywoodChicago.com called it "surprisingly genuine and sweet ... with two of the best child performances that have come out of any country in a long time."

Box Office. Space was the place last weekend, as the IMAX re-release of Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3-D remained atop the indie charts, according to Box Office Mojo, grossing $9,763 per screen at four theaters. Debuting indie pics posted respectable per-screen results: Jean-Pierre Melville's 1961 drama Leon Morin, Priest, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo ($9,515); "A Chorus Line" doc Every Little Step ($8,563); John Crowley's drama Is Anybody There?, starring Michael Caine as a retired magician ($7,702); and Eran Riklis' Israeli drama Lemon Tree ($7,301).

After the jump: the Independent Film Festival of Boston gets underway.

Tax day can be stressful -- trust me, I feel your pain -- so Indie Roundup is here to make you feel better with soothing news of the adventurous indie film community.

Touring. Rachel Goslins' acclaimed doc 'Bama Girl got underway on its so-called "Southern Circuit Tour" this week, barnstorming across the South at a variety of venues through April 24. The doc revolves around a woman who wants to become the first African-American Homecoming Queen at her university, despite the nefarious efforts of a secret society determined to keep the crown lily white. Jette Kernion called it "one of the most entertaining movies" she saw at SXSW last year. More information is available at the official site; Ms. Goslins is also blogging about her adventures.

Box Office. Over the weekend, two docs outdrew Hannah Montana on a per-screen basis. Mark Cowen's Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D, re-released in four IMAX theatres, took in $15,845 per screen, per Box Office Mojo. Produced and narrated by Tom Hanks, the 40-minute film was originally released in 2005. Sacha Gervasi's Cinematical-approved heavy metal doc Anvil! The Story of Anvil, pulled in $11,550 per-screen at three severely-rocking cinemas. The never-say-die original band members are terribly appealing; check out the trailer embedded below for evidence.

Deals. Two films have been acquired for distribution today, according to indieWIRE. Regent Releasing and Here Media picked up Robert Young's docudrama Eichmann and will release it theatrically in October. The film stars the generally terrific Thomas Kretschmann in the title role and Franka Potente as the wife of Eichmann's interrogator after Hitler's architect of "the final solution" was captured in Argentina.

After the jump: Today's other deal -- for The Horse Boy; plus news on the Atlanta and New York film fests.