Every week, I get several press releases, screening invitations and other notifications from a handful of studio contacts. While I won’t be sharing any information regarding my screening invites, some of the press releases might be of interest to my readers, so I thought I’d start sharing them in toto with all of you. These could include new image galleries for various films or important updates to upcoming releases from various smaller studios and art house production companies.

• Press Release: Romanian New Wave Features Releasing to DVD
• Press Release: Relativity Media Changes Release Dates
• Press Release: ‘W.E.’ Soundtrack Release Announced
• Press Release: National Geographic Channel Acquires TV Rights for Chasing Ice

Press Release: Romanian New Wave Features Releasing to DVD

ROMANIAN NEW WAVE HITS “TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE” AND “SUMMER HOLIDAY” COME TO DVD FEB 14 VIA KIMSTIM AND ZEITGEIST FILMS

Zeitgeist Films and KimStim proudly announce the DVD release of two inspired and acclaimed films from the current Romanian New Wave: SUMMER HOLIDAY (aka BOOGIE), from Radu Muntean, award-winning director of Tuesday, After Christmas; and TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE, a poignantly funny omnibus of Romanian urban legends conceived and scripted by Palme d’Or winning filmmaker Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).

Both titles arrive on DVD from KimStim, a boutique film label exclusively distributed by Zeitgeist Films, on February 14, 2012.

For sale in the U.S. only, with an SRP of $29.99 each.

Press Release: Relativity Media Changes Release Dates

‘The Raven’, formerly releasing March 9,2012 will now be releasing nationwide on April 27, 2012.
‘House At the End of the Street’, formerly releasing April 20,2012, will now be releasing nationwide on September 21, 2012.
As previously reported, ‘Safe Haven’ will now be released February 14, 2013 (formerly June 21, 2012).

Press Release: ‘W.E.’ Soundtrack Release Announced

‘W.E. MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE’ COMPOSED BY ABEL KORZENIOWSKI TO BE RELEASED DIGITALLY ON INTERSCOPE RECORDS JAN. 31st

Soundtrack Includes Golden Globe Award Winning Madonna Song “Masterpiece”

January 23, 2011 – For Immediate Release – New York City – The Golden Globe nominated music from Madonna’s upcoming film W.E. composed, orchestrated and produced by Abel Korzeniowski , which also includes Madonna’s Golden Globe award winning song “Masterpiece”, is scheduled to be released digitally on Interscope Records on January 31st, it was announced today. W.E. which was directed, co written and produced by Madonna and distributed by The Weinstein Company is scheduled to be released in February.

The score was recorded in April 2011 at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London with a 60-piece orchestra conducted by Terry Davies including piano, violin and viola solos.

The Polish born Los Angeles based Korzeniowski previously wrote the original score for the Tom Ford film A Single Man for which he also received a Golden Globe nomination.

“The prevailing sense of obsession was what inspired me in W.E. — the irrational compulsion to sacrifice everything and anything for love – a love that could easily be just an illusion. In my music, I wanted to reflect those powerful and conflicting emotions through a web of melodic themes, which relentlessly repeat and constantly swing between despair and sorrow, and hope and joy,” commented Korzeniowski.

“W.E.” tells the story of American divorcee Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough) and England’s King Edward (James D’Arcy) who abdicated his thrown to be with the woman he loved. It is considered one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century. The story is told through the eyes of a modern day New Yorker Wally Winthrop (Abby Cornish). Composer Korzeniowski masterfully and seamlessly bridged the two unique worlds of Europe in the 30’s and 40’s and the contemporary Manhattan environment of a woman lost in her dreams of the perfect love.

In addition to Korzeniowski’s magnificent score, the soundtrack includes the original song “Masterpiece” composed by Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry and sung by Madonna which is played during the end credits of the film. It will also be included on Madonna’s upcoming solo album for Interscope, MDNA, which is scheduled for release this spring.

Press Release: National Geographic Channel Acquires TV Rights for Chasing Ice

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL ACQUIRES TELEVISION RIGHTS TO SUNDANCE FEATURE DOCUMENTARY CHASING ICE DIRECTED BY JEFF ORLOWSKI

Film is currently screening in the US Documentary Competition

Theatrical & Foreign Distribution partners to be announced shortly

From the Producer of The Cove

(Sundance Film Festival — January 26, 2012) Submarine Entertainment announced today that National Geographic Channel (NGC) has purchased television rights for the feature documentary Chasing Ice by Jeff Orlowski from Exposure, LLC following its Sundance Film Festival screening in the US Documentary Competition category. It was announced tonight by NGC Executive Vice President of Programming Michael Cascio and Josh Braun & David Koh of Submarine Entertainment.

The deal was negotiated by Braun & Koh of Submarine and Wilder Knight and Anne Atkinson of Pryor Cashman LLP on behalf of the Producers and Director along with Lisa Truitt, President of National Geographic Entertainment Cinema Ventures. The film was Produced by Jeff Orlowski, Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, and Jerry Aronson; Written by Mark Monroe; Associate Produced by Stacy Sherman and Billy Ray; Music by J. Ralph; Cinematography by Jeff Orlowski; Edited by Davis Coombe.

When acclaimed photographer James Balog asked, “How can one take a picture of climate change?” his attention was immediately drawn to ice. Soon he was asked to do a cover story for National Geographic on glaciers that became “the most popular and well-read piece in the magazine during the last five years” according to Editor Dennis Dimick. But for Balog, that story marked the beginning of a much larger and longer-term project that would reach epic proportions.

The documentary, which Harry Potter director and producer Chris Columbus has called “the most important film of the year,” follows Balog to the Arctic as he attempts to capture images of the Earth’s changing climate.

“This has been a passion project for the entire team for the past 5 years, and to announce this deal following our premiere at Sundance is a dream come true,” said director Jeff Orlowski. “We’re so glad that National Geographic is joining our team and helping to shine a light on James’s powerful imagery.

In this breathtakingly beautiful documentary, filmmaker Orlowski follows the indomitable photographer as he brings to life the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS)—a massive photography project that placed 30 time-lapse cameras across three continents to gather visual evidence of the Earth’s melting ice. Chasing Ice tells the story of a visionary artist who, in facing his own mortality, bequeaths the magic of photography and the adventure of the expedition to a new generation and captures the most visible sign of climate change on the planet today.

“This documentary is one of the highlights of the Sundance slate and an obvious fit for our distinguished global brand and we are pleased to work with the filmmakers to help present their wonderful and important film,” added Cascio.

National Geographic has an extensive history of involvement in Balog and his work and in 2009, National Geographic Books published “EXTREME ICE NOW: Vanishing Glaciers and Changing Climate: A Progress Report.” Balog’s ice survey photographs also appeared in two issues of National Geographic magazine in 2007 and 2010.

This also marks the latest in a number of high profile programming announcements since Howard T. Owens took over as the network president in November, including the recently announce Tony and Ridley Scott production on the New York Times best-selling novel Killing Lincoln.

Chasing Ice is directed by Jeff Orlowski, the cinematographer for the Extreme Ice Survey. In addition to Orlowski, producers include Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, the winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary and 2010 Producers Guild of America ‘Producer of the Year’ for her role on The Cove and Jerry Aronson, Academy Award nominee and Director of The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg. Writer is Mark Monroe, who won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) award for Best Documentary in 2010 for his work on The Cove. Editor Davis Coombe received an Academy Award nomination for his short documentary The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner and is currently shortlisted for the upcoming Academy Awards for his film Saving Face. Music by J. Ralph who scored The Cove and Man On Wire. J. Ralph also wrote the original song “Before My Time” for Chasing Iceperformed by Scarlett Johansson.

About Submarine Entertainment:
Submarine Entertainment is a hybrid sales, production and distribution label. Its recent films include Bill Cunningham New York, Project Nim, Buck, Page One: Inside the New York Times, Being Elmo, Woody Allen Untitled Documentary, among numerous others. Submarine has sold at this year’s Sundance Film Festival Queen of Versailles (Magnolia Pictures), Searching for Sugar Man (Sony Pictures Classics), Black Rock (LD Distribution for North America and Elle Driver for the World), Me at the Zoo (HBO), and Marina Abramovic: the Artist is Present (Dogwoof for UK & Ireland and Madman Entertainment for Australia, NZ, and South Africa).

About National Geographic Channel:
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, Spanish language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation’s major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in more than 71 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channels International is available in more than 380 million homes in 163 countries and 37 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

About NGCV:
National Geographic Cinema Ventures, a division of National Geographic Television & Film, is responsible for production and distribution of giant-screen, 3D and specialty films. Over the last decade, NGCV has produced or released a number of successful films including Oscar-nominated documentaries “Restrepo,” and “The Story of the Weeping Camel”; giant-screen films “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” “U2 3D” and “Mysteries of Egypt”; and traditional feature-length films “The First Grader,” “The Last Lions,” and “Life in a Day.” Lisa Truitt is president of NGCV; and Mark Katz is president of NGCV distribution. For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.nationalgeographic.com” www.nationalgeographic.com.

About Exposure, LLC:
Exposure LLC is a film production company dedicated to socially relevant filmmaking, with an eye towards issues important to humanity. They have produced award-winning narrative and documentary films. www.chasingice.com