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.

• Image Gallery: Tribeca Festival Entries – The Director; The Machine; and Mr. Jones
• Press Release: NJPAC and Participant Media Host Series of Film Screenings and Talkbacks for New Jersey HIgh School Students
• Press Release: GKIDS Sets Release Date for “The Painting”
• Press Release: Tony Goldwyn Joins “Divergent” Cast

Images and Posters: Tribeca Festival Entries – The Director; The Machine; and Mr. Jones

Press Release: NJPAC and Participant Media Host Series of Film Screenings and Talkbacks for New Jersey HIgh School Students

NJPAC Teams with Participant Media for a Series of Film Screenings and Talkbacks for New Jersey High School Students

1,800 New Jersey Students to Attend “Lincoln” on May 23

(Newark, NJ – April 18) The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) joins Participant Media, the leading provider of entertainment that inspires and accelerates change, for a series of four film screenings and talkbacks for New Jersey high school students and for the general public. The series, entitled Movies That Matter, is funded by the Women’s Association of NJPAC and, over the next year, will bring in students from across the State to watch the Academy Award-winning “Lincoln,” “Last Call at The Oasis,” “A Place at the Table,” and the yet-to-be-released “Chavez.” Through the series, NJPAC will work with Participant’s Social Action team and campaign associates to foster opportunities for New Jersey students and the public at large to take action on the issues illuminated by the films in the series. Prior to each film, participating schools will prepare students for the movies and the subjects each addresses through the use of unique educational curriculum created for Participant’s Social Action campaigns. After every screening, students will take part in a discussion with distinguished panelists about the issues raised.

Movies that Matter reunites NJPAC President and CEO, John Schreiber, with Jim Berk, CEO of Participant Media. Prior to taking the helm at the Arts Center, Schreiber was the Executive Vice President, Social Action and Advocacy, for Participant Media.

“When John Schreiber told us about his idea for a program that would focus on how we take important, socially relevant films off the screen and into the community, we were compelled to do everything possible to support him,” said Berk. “Thanks to NJPAC and the Woman’s Association of NJPAC, Moves that Matter has become a reality and will benefit many thousands of New Jerseyeans.”

“During my tenure at Participant, I was privileged to lead a team responsible for creating Social Action campaigns for such films as Waiting for Superman and Food Inc., that were designed to educate and inspire community action,” said Schreiber. “Partnering with Participant enables the Arts Center to expand on our ability to address the relevant issues of the day and help educate citizens on how to get involved.”

The first screening in the series will take place on May 23, 2013. Over 1,800 students from Newark Public Schools, TEAM Academy, Jersey City Public Schools, East Orange Public Schools, Cicely L. Tyson High School, St. Benedicts’ Preparatory School, and Montclair Public Schools have been preparing for the last two months, using the educational curriculum created by Disney and Participant, and will attend a screening of the Academy Award-winning “Lincoln.” Following the screening, Dr. Clement A. Price, a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at Rutgers and history professor, who also chaired President Obama’s transition team for the National Endowment for the Humanities, will lead a discussion with students on both the film and the history it explores. Price has played leadership roles with many organizations in New Jersey, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Fund for New Jersey, the Newark Public Schools, the Newark Black Film Festival, the Newark Public Library, the Newark Education Trust, and the Save Ellis Island Foundation, and is an acknowledged expert on the 14th Amendment and the abolitionist movement.

The films:

Lincoln (print courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures/The Walt Disney Co.)

Screened May 21, 2013 at 9:45am for students

Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

A Place at the Table (print courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)

Screened November 14, 2013 at 10am for students, 6:30pmfor the general public

50 million people in the U.S.—one in four children—don’t know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all Americans. Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine this issue through the lens of three people who are struggling with food insecurity, interweaving their stories are interwoven with insights from experts, ordinary citizens, and activists including Executive Producer Tom Colicchio (Top Chef) and Oscar®-winning actor Jeff Bridges.

Last Call At The Oasis (print courtesy of ATO Pictures)

Screened April 10, 2014 at 10am for students, 6:30pm for the general public

Firmly establishing the urgency of the global water crisis as the central issue facing our world this century, this documentary illuminates the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes the defects in the current system and shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects. Featuring activist Erin Brockovich, respected water experts including Peter Gleick, Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon and social entrepreneurs championing revolutionary solutions, the film posits that we can manage this problem if we are willing to act now.

Chavez (print courtesy of Pantelion Films)

Screened May 22, 2014 at 10am for students, 6:30pm for the general public

Directed by Diego Luna and starring Michael Peña (End of Watch, The Lincoln Lawyer), Chavez chronicles the birth of a modern American movement led by famed civil rights leader and labor organizer, Cesar Chavez. Torn between his duties as a husband and father and his commitment to bringing dignity and justice to others, Chavez embraced non-violence as he battled greed and prejudice in his struggle for the rights of farm workers. His triumphant journey is a remarkable testament to the power of one individual’s ability to change the system.

Participant (participantmedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature films, television, publishing and digital content that inspire social change. Participant’s more than 40 films include GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, SYRIANA, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., WAITING FOR ‘SUPERMAN’, THE HELP, CONTAGION and LINCOLN. Participant’s social action campaigns and digital network TakePart.com continue the conversation and connect audiences to a wealth of content and actions. Its new millennial television network Pivot pivot.tv, launching this summer in 40 million-plus homes, is TV for The New Greatest Generation.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey’s Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over seven million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit www.njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC for more information.

Press Release: GKIDS Sets Release Date for “The Painting”

GKIDS SETS RELEASE DATE FOR “THE PAINTING” OPENS MAY 10 IN NEW YORK

FOLLOWED BY EXPANSION TO LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, BOSTON, ATLANTA AND OTHER CITIES BEGINNING MAY 24

New York, New York – April 17, 2013 – GKIDS, a distributor of award-winning animation for both adults and family audiences, announced that it will release an English language version of Jean-Francois Laguionie’s THE PAINTING (Le Tableau) on May 10. The film will open in New York, followed by expansion beginning on May 24 to cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Atlanta.

THE PAINTING, French animation auteur Jean-Francois Laguionie’s latest work, is a wryly-inventive parable executed in a stunning painterly style. A kingdom is divided into the three castes: the fully painted Alldunns who reside in a majestic palace; the Halfies who the Painter has left incomplete; and the untouchable Sketchies, frail charcoal outlines who are banished to the cursed forest. Chastised for her forbidden love for an Alldunn and shamed by her unadorned face, Halfie Claire runs away into the forest. Her beloved Ramo and best friend Lola journey after her, passing between the forbidden Death Flowers that guard the boundaries of the forest, and arriving finally at the very edge of the painting – where they tumble through the canvas and into the Painter’s studio. The abandoned workspace is strewn with paintings, each containing its own animated world – and in a feast for both the eyes and imagination, they explore first one picture and then another, attempting to discover just what the Painter has in mind for all his creations.

ABOUT GKIDS
GKIDS is a distributor of award-winning filmed entertainment specializing in animation for both adult and family audiences. The company has scored three Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations in the past three years, with The Secret of Kells in 2010 and both A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012 – marking the first time an independent distributor has had two simultaneous nominations in the category. GKIDS also handles North American theatrical distribution for Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki’s famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and the latest film, From Up on Poppy Hill, now in theaters. GKIDS is longtime producer of the New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying event and North America’s largest festival of film for children and teens. NYICFF jury members include Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Jeffrey Wright, Gus van Sant, Christine Vachon, John Canemaker, Evan Shapiro and James Schamus.

Press Release: Tony Goldwyn Joins “Divergent” Cast

TONY GOLDWYN JOINS CAST OF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT’S FUTURISTIC ACTION ADVENTURE DIVERGENT

Santa Monica, CA – April 15, 2013 – Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF) company, announced today that Tony Goldwyn has joined the cast of the studio’s highly anticipated feature film adaptation of DIVERGENT, starring Golden Globe® nominated Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet. The film will also feature Ray Stevenson, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen, and Amy Newbold. Currently filming in Chicago, the futuristic action adventure, based on author Veronica Roth’s New York Times best seller is being directed by Neil Burger from a script by Vanessa Taylor. The original draft of the script was written by Evan Daugherty. Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher are producing the project via their Red Wagon Entertainment banner along with Pouya Shahbazian. Red Wagon’s Rachel Shane is executive producing, alongside John J. Kelly. Summit will release the film theatrically in North America in THE HUNGER GAMES slot on Friday, March 21, 2014.

Goldwyn will portray Andrew, Tris’ father, in DIVERGENT. He currently stars as President Fitzgerald Grant on the wildly popular ABC hit Scandal. His feature acting credits include THE PELICAN BRIEF, KISS THE GIRLS, NIXON, THE SUBSTANCE OF FIRE, THE LAST SAMURAI and GHOST.

DIVERGENT is a thrilling adventure set in a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities, Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it’s too late.

The extremely popular young adult novel Divergent was written by first time author Veronica Roth and has topped the New York Times Best Sellers list ever since being published in May of 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins Publishers. The book was written by Roth while she was earning her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University. She followed her first novel with the book Insurgent, which has also made its way to the #1 position on specific New York Times Best Sellers lists. To date, book sales are now over 3 million copies for both novels combined, and both titles are HarperCollins most successful e-books ever in regards to sales. The studio acquired the film rights to the novel in early 2011 several months before the book Divergent was published.

DIVERGENT marks another strategic foray for Summit into producing material for young adults, building on Summit and corporate parent Lionsgate’s leadership in the young-adult genre. Summit’s TWILIGHT SAGA franchise has grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, and the first film of Lionsgate’s THE HUNGER GAMES franchise is the 13th highest-grossing North American release of all time.

Erik Feig, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s President of Production, and Gillian Bohrer, Lionsgate’s SVP of Production, are overseeing the project for the studio.

To stay connected with all updates related to the film, follow the official DIVERGENT Twitter handle (www.twitter.com/Divergent) and like the movie’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DivergentMovie).

Goldwyn is represented by CAA, Untitled, and Schreck, Rose, Dapello and Adams.

About Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE® company, is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The company handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit also represents international sales for both its own slate and third party product.

About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of primetime cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 28 shows on 20 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men, Weeds and Nurse Jackie, the new comedy Anger Management, the network series Nashville, the syndication successes Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, its spinoff Meet the Browns, For Better Or Worse, The Wendy Williams Show, Are We There Yet? and the upcoming Orange Is The New Black, an original series for Netflix.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games franchise, the 13th highest-grossing North American release of all time, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which has grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office, Tyler Perry’s Temptation, Warm Bodies, Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Expendables 2, The Possession, Sinister, The Cabin in the Woods and Arbitrage. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company has now added the blockbuster Twilight Saga, which has grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, to its current slate, giving the Company the two premier young adult franchises in the world.

Lionsgate’s home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.