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: Bloom to Handle International Sales for “Unlocked”
• Press Release: Steve Coogan to Star in “Boswell for the Defence”
• Press Release: “Love Is Strange” Heading to UK and Irish Cinemas Dec. 5
• Press Release: GSN to Air Two-Hour “Skin Wars” Finale Event
• Press Release: “Level Five” Coming to Home Video on Oct. 7
• Press Release: Pauly Shore Launches Website & Podcast
• Press Release: Submarine Deluxe and History Acquire Rights to “The Mind of Leonardo in 3D”
• Press Release: Skype Discussion about “Don’t Look Down On Me”
• Press Release: “Fruits de Mer” Premiers on nowness.com
• Press Release: “Terror at the Mall” Debuts on HBO Sept. 15
• Press Release: Saban Films Nearing Deal on “American Heist”

Press Release: Bloom to Handle International Sales for “Unlocked”

ALEX WALTON AND KEN KAO’S BLOOM TO HANDLE INTERNATIONAL SALES ON MICHAEL APTED’S “UNLOCKED”

Academy-Award Winner Michael Douglas and Orlando Bloom Join Star Noomi Rapace

Los Angeles/Toronto, September 7, 2014 – Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s BLOOM will handle international sales on UNLOCKED directed by Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and based on a screenplay by Peter O’Brien. Academy Award® Winner Michael Douglas (Ant-Man, The Reach, Behind the Candelabra, Wall Street) and Orlando Bloom (The Hobbit franchise; the Lord of the Rings franchise; the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) will join star Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Child 44, Prometheus) in the new thriller, with Lorenzo DiBonaventura (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Salt, Red, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) producing alongside Georgina Townsley and Erik Howsam. Silver Reel (Under The Skin, The Railway Man, The Host) will finance and produce alongside DiBonaventura. BLOOM is introducing the film to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival.

With principal photography beginning on November 3, UNLOCKED tells the story of a CIA interrogator (Rapace) who unwittingly provides information to terrorists and then must race against the clock to stop a biological warfare attack on London.

“I am delighted to introduce this fresh, smart European thriller to buyers in Toronto,” said BLOOM’s Alex Walton. “With three major studio movies in production, Noomi Rapace is becoming one of the hottest female international stars working today. When you add Michael Apted, Michael Douglas and Orlando Bloom — you have a commercial package that I am confident will draw strong interest.”

Michael Douglas is represented by UTA. Orlando Bloom is represented by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Noomi Raprace is represented by CAA and Magnolia Entertainment. Michael Apted is represented by CAA and the Gotham Group.

Last week, BLOOM boarded director Shane Black’s detective thriller THE NICE GUYS starring Academy Award® Winner Russell Crowe and Academy Award® Nominee Ryan Gosling, which the company introduced to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival. They are currently in production on two-time Academy Award® Nominee Gus Van Sant’s The Sea of Trees starring Academy Award® Winner Matthew McConaughey and Academy Award® Nominees Ken Watanabe and Naomi Watts.

About BLOOM
BLOOM represents and curates a diversified slate of films ranging from commercial, talent-driven, wide release movies, to specialty films from proven and trusted filmmakers, all the while keeping an eye towards fresh and emerging talent. The Sea of Trees is the first project on the BLOOM slate. The company recently announced Skiptrace starring Jackie Chan and The Hunters, which will be directed by John Moore. The existing slate includes: Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel Dark Places starring Charlize Theron; A Walk Among the Tombstones starring Liam Neeson; The Woman in Black: Angel of Death; Pele, the biopic about the legendary Brazilian soccer player; Jane Got a Gun starring Natalie Portman; and Out of the Dark starring Julia Stiles and Scott Speedman.

About Silver Reel
Since 2009 Silver Reel has financed and executive produced 22 feature films. Silver Reel’s Executives have built a wide network with producers, writers, directors, actors, agents and distributors worldwide. This gives Silver Reel unprecedented access to projects of the highest quality, with a special bias on elevated material. Silver Reels Advisory board includes –among others- the award winning actor Colin Firth.

It’s recent portfolio encompasses elevated dramas like Jonathan Glazers Under The Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Teplitzkys The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, A Hologram For The King helmed by Tom Twyker with the lead played by Tom Hanks as well as genre films like Solace, a psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Unlocked an action packed spy thriller, starring Michael Douglas, Noomi Rapace and Orlando Bloom.

Press Release: Steve Coogan to Star in “Boswell for the Defence”

STEVE COOGAN TO PLAY JAMES BOSWELL IN FEATURE FILM ADAPTATION OF ACCLAIMED WEST END PLAY “BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE”

PRODUCTION SET FOR 2015 WITH HIGHLAND FILM GROUP HANDLING SALES

Toronto, 7 September, 2014: Highland Film Group announced today that Academy-nominated, BAFTA Award-winning actor Steve Coogan (“Philomena”, “The Trip”) has signed on to play the title role of James Boswell in a feature film adaptation of acclaimed West End play, BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE.

Gregor Jordan (“Buffalo Soldiers”, “Ned Kelly”) will direct from a script by Patrick Edgeworth, who also wrote the play. Mark Pennell and Steve Chasman will produce. Armyan Bernstein (Beacon Pictures) will executive produce. The project is represented by Highland Film Group Internationally.

Production is set for 2015. BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE tells the true story of how James Boswell (Coogan), in the twilight of his career and life, takes on an impossible case – to save the life of the convict Mary Bryant from the gallows. A case no one else wants or cares about. The tragi-comic Boswell is the most unlikely hero from the most unlikely quarter. But he manages to find his past brilliance long enough to save the day.

Commenting on the casting, producers Mark Pennell and Steve Chasman said: “Whether it be ‘Lincoln’ or ‘Thatcher’, bringing a historical figure to life is always a challenge, but Steve’s (Coogan) extraordinary ability to blend humour and pathos make him the perfect artist to bring such a complex character like Boswell to the screen. We are excited to see him make this role his own.”

“We fell in love with the script, and combined with Gregor’s vision and Coogan’s talent – create the complete package which will be sure to resonate with buyers and appeal to global audiences,” said Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier. “Plus we are looking forward to collaborating with talented producers such as Steve and Mark.”

“BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE is a unique combination of drama and humour about the most unlikely of people becoming a hero. Gregor’s vision for the film was an instantaneous fit. We are equally excited to start collaborating with Steve and Mark on this project and bringing this extraordinary film to audiences worldwide,” said Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier.

Coogan is repped by CAA and Independent Talent Group.

ABOUT HIGHLAND FILM GROUP
Highland Film Group (HFG) was started in 2010 by Arianne Fraser, who partnered with Delphine Perrier in 2012, and is an independent film sales and production company whose slate includes: the Box Office phenomena INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED released by Lionsgate subsidiary Pantelion Films and starring Eugenio Derbez, Jessica Lindsey and Karla Souza; the Brett Ratner produced teen-action comedy BARELY LETHAL starring Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Alba; JACKIE & RYAN starring Katherine Heigl and Ben Barnes which premiered at the 2014 Venice International Film Festival; and THE TRUST starring Nicolas Cage and Jack Huston.

ABOUT CURRENT ENTERTAINMENT
Current Entertainment, founded by Steven Chasman, specializes in producing cutting edge films. Chasman’s latest production Wild Card, based on the screenplay and novel Heat written by Academy Award-winner William Goldman, and starring Jason Statham, Hope Davis, Sofia Vergara and Stanley Tucci, will be released worldwide in the first quarter 2015. Chasman and Current Entertainment have also produced a number of films with Luc Besson, including the highly successful Transporter Trilogy starring Statham, the Jet Li-starring films Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed, and Taxi starring Jimmy Fallon. Some of Current Entertainment’s other productions include: Taylor Hackford-directed Parker based on the series of novels by Donald Westlake, which starred Statham, Jennifer Lopez and Nick Nolte, Blitz based on the novel by Ken Bruen, Killer Elite based on the true story written by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, starring Statham, Robert De Niro and Clive Owen, and Roger Donaldson’s critically acclaimed The Bank Job, starring Statham and based on the 1971 Baker Street bank robbery. Chasman/Current recently announced The Destroyer for Sony Pictures, which will be directed by Shane Black.

Press Release: “Love Is Strange” Heading to UK and Irish Cinemas Dec. 5

A ”TRIUMPH” FOR LITHGOW AND MOLINA, LOVE IS STRANGE HEADING TO UK & IRISH CINEMAS ON 5 DECEMBER

IRA SACHS’ ACCLAIMED DRAMA CONTINUES ITS FESTIVAL SUCCESS WITH A UK PREMIERE AT BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL

8 September, 2014, London, UK – Fresh from its extremely successful US release and inclusion in this October’s 2014 BFI London Film Festival line-up, Altitude Film Distribution have announced that they will release Ira Sachs’ LOVE IS STRANGE in UK and Irish cinemas on 5 December.

Four decades into their relationship, Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) can finally marry. However, their vows are tested shortly afterwards when George loses his job and the couple are forced to live apart. Separated and suddenly reliant on friends and family, George and Ben must navigate a new world.

From acclaimed writer and director Ira Sachs, comes a unique film about life, love and long term commitment. LOVE IS STRANGE is a beautiful, charming and incredibly moving exploration about the expansive, intimate nature inside all human relationships.

The ensemble cast is rounded out by Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, Charlie Tahan, Cheyenne Jackson and Darren E Burrows.

Sachs says of the film, “LOVE IS STRANGE is a multi-generational story that examines the different ways each of us experience love – and what we expect from it – at different points in our lives.”

Following the film’s rave critical reception at this year’s Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals, LOVE IS STRANGE opened to an outstanding $25,310 per screen average in key cities in the US on 22 August and continues to expand over the coming weeks.

LOVE IS STRANGE will receive its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival with Ira Sachs in attendance on 15 October.

LOVE IS STRANGE IS RELEASED IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK AND IRELAND ON 5 DECEMBER

Press Release: GSN to Air Two-Hour “Skin Wars” Finale Event

GSN TO AIR TWO-HOUR “SKIN WARS” EVENT: SEASON ONE FINALE AND SPECIAL REUNION SHOW WILL AIR BACK-TO-BACK

SEPTEMBER 24 BEGINNING AT 9PM ET/PT

“Skin Wars” Judge RuPaul Charles Hosts the Hour-Long Reunion Show, which also Includes the World Premiere of Original Song “Color Me Love,” Written and Produced by RuPaul Charles, Rebecca Romijn and Lucian Piane

Sept. 8, 2014, SANTA MONICA, Calif. — GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today a special SKIN WARS REUNION SHOW to air immediately following the series’ season one finale on Wednesday, September 24.

SKIN WARS’ season one finale airs at 9:00pm ET/PT, followed by the SKIN WARS REUNION SHOW at 10:00pm ET/PT.

The SKIN WARS REUNION SHOW will be hosted by series judge – and legendary entertainer – RuPaul Charles, and will welcome back all of the talented and colorful season one contestants, as well as SKIN WARS judges and body-painting icons, Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina. The reunion will highlight the series’ most memorable moments, go behind the scenes to delve into the relationships that evolved, and explore the truth behind some of the season’s biggest showdowns.

Additionally, fans will get a “sneak peek” at the world premiere of RuPaul’s original song, “Color Me Love (featuring Rebecca Romijn).” Written and produced by RuPaul, Rebecca Romijn and Lucian Piane, the single makes its debut in the SKIN WARS REUNION SHOW.

As part of the reunion, viewers will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance via Facebook (facebook.com/SkinWarsShow) and Twitter (@SkinWarsShow) about their favorite episode, challenge, contestant, model and more, with questions to be answered on-air.

Still airing season one, SKIN WARS has already been seen by more than 9 million total viewers (unduplicated) and has nearly doubled the time period average (+95%) among total viewers, versus the year-to-date time period average. The series’ debut on August 6 was the second most-watched original premiere in GSN history.

Television’s first-ever body-painting competition show, SKIN WARS seeks to find and celebrate the most talented and versatile body painters in the country. Actress Rebecca Romijn (X-Men) hosts the hour-long series, with RuPaul and body-painting icons Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina serving as judges.

SKIN WARS is executive produced by Michael Levitt of Michael Levitt Productions (“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” “Ask Oprah’s All Stars,” “Billboard Music Awards”), Jill Goularte, Colleen Sands and Rebecca Romijn. Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina serve as producers.

Press Release: “Level Five” Coming to Home Video on Oct. 7

Coming to Home Video DVD and VOD on October 7 LEVEL FIVE A film by Chris Marker

September 9, 2014: After a successful theatrical release, Icarus Films are proud to release LEVEL FIVE on home video on October 7th. Chris Marker’s shock-to-the-senses mind-melter concerns a woman (Catherine Belkhodja) haunted by the loss of her lover while working on programming a video game about World War II’s Battle of Okinawa. Melding retro-futuristic sci-fi imagery, references to American film noir, and reflections on traumas in Japanese history into a visually and philosophically provocative puzzle, LEVEL FIVE is a hallucinatory visual essay on memory, tragedy, and early digital culture.

Press Release: Pauly Shore Launches Website & Podcast

Pauly Shore Launches New Website & Podcast

(New York, NY | September 11, 2014) The Weasel is back with a vengeance. Comedy legend Pauly Shore launched his new website today, www.PaulyShore.com, a highly stylized, modern portal into the latest exciting events going on in Shore’s orbit – and these events are many!

For one, with the website’s launch comes the launch of Shore’s podcast, “Pauly Shore’s Interested,” with each episode focusing on Shore interviewing a fellow comedian or entertainer. Shore explains, “My new podcast has three elements: the interview, someone commenting on the interview, and me. Sweet! It’s called interested. Why do I call it ‘interested?’ ‘Cause I’m actually INTERESTED in the people that I’m talking to, and hope you’re interested too.”

Episode one kicked off this Wednesday at 6am EST, with a new episode to follow weekly, and is featured on the iTunes homepage. The premiere episode features Shore’s interview with screenwriter/actor/comedian Rick Overton and commentary by Ed Begley, Jr. – a Robin Williams tribute episode. Shore, Overton, and Begley, Jr. were all close to Williams, making this tribute episode quite a moving tribute.

About the Williams tribute episode of “Interested,” Shore shares, “As the world knows, the genius Robin Williams passed away recently. I was very affected by this, not just because of his talents, but because Robin was very close to me and my family. Robin started at my mom’s club, the Comedy Store, in Hollywood back in the late ‘70s. I’ve known him since I was a kid. Hopefully Robin is in a happier place now. He’ll be loved and missed by me forever. So I chose my first episode to be a tribute to Robin Williams, that’s why I thought it was appropriate to interview Rick Overton, one of Robin Williams’s best friends – and have Ed Begley Jr., who was also very close with Robin, comment on the interview.”

Upcoming episodes include an interview with Arsenio Hall and commentary from Paul Rodriguez on September 17th, an interview with Andy Dick and commentary from Lucas Dick on September 24th, an interview with Michael Steele and commentary from Jerrod Carmichael on October 1st, and an interview with Sammy Shore and commentary from Rudy DeLuca on October 8th. For more info on the podcast, please click here.

Coming up on the Pauly Shore pipeline is also the feature length documentary he directed, PAULY SHORE STANDS ALONE, chronicling his life on the road. The film recently won “Best Documentary” at the Downtown Film Festival in Los Angeles and will be premiering at the Woodstock Film Festival in October – it is slated for a December release.

Press Release: Submarine Deluxe and History Acquire Rights to “The Mind of Leonardo in 3D”

Submarine Deluxe & History Films Will Take You “Inside The Mind Of Leonardo in 3D” Featuring Peter Capaldi as Leonardo da Vinci

Toronto, ON (September 11th, 2014) – Submarine Deluxe announced today that the company is acquiring the U.S. rights to Julian Jones’ INSIDE THE MIND OF LEONARDO in 3D. The inspiring world of Leonardo da Vinci is brought to life by acclaimed BAFTA award-winning actor Peter Capaldi (DOCTOR WHO, IN THE LOOP) in a unique dramatized documentary directed by Julian Jones and produced by History Films.

INSIDE THE MIND OF LEONARDO is based on the artist’s private journals dating from the Italian Renaissance. With more than 6,000 pages of handwritten notes and drawings, da Vinci’s private journals are the most comprehensive documents that chronicle the work of the world’s most renowned inventor, philosopher, painter, and genius. Never before has access been granted to capture these works in 3D HD format.

Using this precious collection of writings and drawings to recount da Vinci’s story in his own words, the film re-creates the mindscape and ideas of mankind’s greatest polymath.

In a powerful haunting performance, actor Peter Capaldi portrays Leonardo, dramatically narrating passages and monologues from his journals. Capaldi captures the passion of Leonardo’s genius, his understand of the workings of the natural world, his insights on art and life and his inner fears and torments. From the epic to the ordinary, INSIDE THE MIND OF LEONARDO explores how Leonardo experienced the world around him. In turn, the film changes the way we see the world today.

Following a biographical narrative, the feature captures the artist’s birth as a bastard peasant, his thwarted ambitions, hurt, anger, and sexual desire as documented within his diaries, but also the mundane evernts everyday life: his shopping lists, health tips, and bawdy jokes.

Dan Braun from Submarine Deluxe stated “We are thrilled to be able to bring this captivating film out into the world. I feel that audiences will be surprised and enchanted by Peter Capaldi’s performance and Julian Jones’s stunning 3D visuals. We are proud to once again be working with History Films and Julian Hobbes on this highly unusual and provocative film”.

Julian P. Hobbs, executive producer for History Films, stated “We wanted to reveal a whole new layer of one of the world’s most mysterious and intriguing characters, using 3D technology that would likely have been a revelation to Leonardo himself. This has been an incredible passion project for us and we are excited to be working with Submarine Deluxe and collaborating with Julian Jones and Peter Capaldi.”

Production of INSIDE THE MIND OF LEONARDO was handled by IWC Meda and Handel Productions, produced by Julian P. Hobbs and Peter Lovering, written by Nick Dear, co-written and directed by Julian Jones.

Submarine Deluxe will release the film in New York on October 17th with a nationwide theatrical rollout to follow.

About Submarine Entertainment
Submarine Entertainment, founded and run by twin brothers Josh and Dan Braun, is a hybrid sales and production company, consulting and strategizing on the sale and distribution of feature films and documentaries and producing unique and high quality feature films, documentaries and television properties. Submarine Deluxe is the company’s distribution label, which releases features films and documentaries including Being Elmo, Love Marilyn, Casting By, GMO OMG, the upcoming PUMP and the Academy Award nominated Chasing Ice.

About HISTORY™ FILMS:
HISTORY Films seeks to bring cinematic stories by outstanding independent filmmakers to the widest possible audience. Through HISTORY Films, the network will pursue dramatic non-fiction films about extraordinary people and those singular moments in our past, present and future that stand out forever, demonstrating that History is Made Every Day. The HISTORY Films roster currently includes: The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld, directed by Errol Morris; the award winning Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) (National Critics; LA Critics; NY Critics awards) directed by Werner Herzog; Countdown to Zero (2010) directed by Lucy Walker; Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place (2011) directed by Alex Gibney and Page One: Inside The New York Times (2011) directed by Andrew Rossi.

Press Release: Skype Discussion about “Don’t Look Down On Me”

Media Enabled Musketeers “All for one and one for all” US-Russia Media Program

Participant Jonathan Novick’s Eye Opening Film, DON’T LOOK DOWN ON ME at Over 2.5 Million Views on Youtube!

New York participants have Skype discussion with their Russian counterparts

New York, NY (September 10th, 2014) – Downtown Community Television Center’s program “Media Enabled Musketeers” will partner, this fall, with Moscow’s Journalism Advancement and Support Center to connect disabled citizens with American and Russian local media organizations. Project partners will conduct community training seminars on disability sensitivity as well as workshops on documentary storytelling for citizens with disabilities, journalists, and journalism students. Journalists will pair up with disabled citizens to produce short films about issues that affect their community.

Participants from Russia and the U.S. will travel to each other’s countries to work together to make collaborative short films about disability issues. In September, “Media Enabled Musketeers” will hold a mini festival of completed films which will be hosted by the Moscow Documentary Film Center. Come October, DCTV will host a similar event in New York City, completing the exchange.

One of the films showcased is Jonathan Novick’s eye-opening DON’T LOOK DOWN ON ME, which took the internet by storm, going live on Youtube August 7th. The short chronicles a day in the life of Jonathan, living in New York City, who was born with Achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. Jon uses footage from a hidden camera disguised as a button on his shirt to show what he has to deal with: mistaken identity, harassment, condescension, and bigotry. The film has already garnered over two million views, with coverage on Inside Edition, BBC Trending, Yahoo, Huffington Post, The Gloss, Laughing Squid and many others.

“This is why we picked up cameras 40 years ago. To help give a voice to the voiceless. We are inspired by the films this talented group has made. And excited at the reception from the public. In America and Russia”, said DCTV’s Cofounder and 16 time National Emmy winner, Jon Alpert.

Olga Kravtsova, who handles the Russian side of this multi-national program, currently works for the Center for New Media and Society in Moscow and the Journalism Advancement and Support Center.

She has a background in psychology, holds a PhD degree from Moscow State University and has worked with different traumatized populations since 1994. Olga has studied human rights, trauma and related issues and is co-author of two books and several articles on the psychology of trauma and social tolerance. Olga has served as a trainer in the field of reporting in traumatic situations and stressful conditions for journalists in Russia and other countries.

DCTV is a media arts center that fosters diverse viewpoints by providing professional training, state-of-the-industry resources, and by creating outstanding documentary productions, with the belief that diversity of expression strengthens our democracy and enhances civil society. Founded by Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno, DCTV has fostered a diverse and inclusive media arts community for 40 productive years. DCTV pursues its educational mission by introducing members of the community to the basics of electronic media through hundreds of free or low-cost production courses and access to broadcast-quality production equipment.

Media Enabled Musketeers is funded by the Eurasia Foundation and its SEE (US-Russia Social Expertise Exchange) Program and the U.S. State Department with additional support from Slava Fetisov (the famous hockey player), SONY, Edna Eidelberg and Curt Rosloff, Bank of America Matching Gift Program, Time Warner Cares, The Center for New Media and Society, TV Radoneje (Sergiev Posad), and TVK (Krasnoyarsk).

The Center for the Study of New Media and Society is a new international, multidisciplinary research center housed at the New Economic School in Moscow, Russia. Bringing together economists, political scientists, sociologists and media professionals, the Center seeks to support academically rigorous, policy relevant research in four core areas; New Media Sociology, New Media Economics, New Media Politics, E-Governance, Open Governance and New Forms of State-Society Interaction.

Press Release: “Fruits de Mer” Premiers on nowness.com

HALA MATAR’S FRUITS DE MER PREMIERES ON NOWNESS.COM STARRING C. THOMAS HOWELL, ZOE LE BER, & JAMES RANSONE

NEW YORK (September 11, 2014) – Starring C. Thomas Howell, Zoe Le Ber, James Ransone, Cameron Moir, and Vanya Asher, Hala Matar’s Fruits de Mer is premiering exclusively online at www.NOWNESS.com. Shot on location at Bar Marmont in Los Angeles, the short is a film noir satire about a restaurateur who tries to dominate his mistress by taking over her possessions.

Fruits de Mer is written and directed by Hala Matar, produced by Nicole Disson, and co-produced by Hind Matar and Harper Simon. Cinematography is by Autumn Durald (Palo Alto), production design is by Sara Jamieson, with original music by Tuxedomoon.

About HALA MATAR (Director)
Hala Matar is an LA-based film director who was born and raised in Bahrain. She has directed films for Vice and for fashion brands including Kenzo, Vivienne Westwood and Diesel. Her film Streetcar starring Chloe Sevigny premiered in Abu Dhabi film festival. She recently finished directing its follow-up, Desire, starring Johnny Knoxville, Matthew Gray Gubler and Sophie Kennedy Clark. Her film for Kenzo, Automobile Waltz, stars Lydia Hearst and Anton Yelchin.

Matar graduated from the University of Virginia, then moved to New York. She began her career as an art curator in New York City, then opened her own gallery on the Bowery called Chiles Matar. She relocated to Los Angeles in 2012.

About NICOLE DISSON (Producer)
Nicole Disson is a producer, performer and curator based in Los Angeles. Nicole produced and co-starred in Sleepover LA a short film set at The Standard (SXSW ’14, EFM Berlinale, NOWNESS) and just recently finished post-production on Fruits De Mer, a short film set at Bar Marmont, commissioned by NOWNESS. Leading up to her work in film, Nicole conceived, produced and performed in THE SERIES, a multi-disciplinary production and event that cross-pollinates a social experience with the performing arts, previously set on the rooftop of The Standard, Downtown LA from 2010 – 2012 and presented Upstairs at ACE HOTEL Downtown LA in 2014. Also under THE SERIES umbrella, Nicole directed and curated Live Arts Exchange / LAX’s inaugural opening night performance event at The Bootleg Theater.

Nicole served as producer for artist Lita Albuquerque’s SPINE OF THE EARTH 2012, under The Getty Museum’s Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival. She was the Director of Marketing and Associate Producer for Post Fact Production’s NEW., an experimental rock opera held at the historical 2,500 seat Million Dollar Theater in Downtown LA. Prior to that, she produced and performed in All Together Now, a mixed-media event introducing emerging female artists that took place at Space 15TWENTY in Hollywood.

Press Release: “Terror at the Mall” Debuts on HBO Sept. 15

TERROR AT THE MALL, A HARROWING INSIDE LOOK AT THE SIEGE OF WESTGATE MALL IN NAIROBI, DEBUTS SEPT. 15 ON HBO

On Sept. 21, 2013, Al-Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group from Somalia, attacked Westgate Mall in neighboring Kenya. The siege lasted 49 hours, leaving 71 dead and hundreds wounded.

Told from the vantage point of more than 100 security cameras revealing hours of previously unseen mall surveillance video, and drawing on extensive photos taken during the attack and testimony from survivors and rescuers depicted in the footage and photos, TERROR AT THE MALL recalls the horror of the attack, as well as the courage and resilience of ordinary citizens in the face of mass murder. The harrowing documentary debuts MONDAY, SEPT. 15 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, marking the first anniversary of the attack. Dan Reed (HBO’s Emmy®-nominated “Terror in Mumbai”) directs.

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 16 (3:40 a.m.), 18 (1:30 p.m.), 21 (3:45 p.m.), 23 (10:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m.) and 27 (12:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Sept. 17 (9:00 p.m.), 25 (3:50 p.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 30 (noon), and Oct. 5 (10:30 a.m.), 8 (4:15 a.m.), 21 (12:20 p.m.) and 30 (4:00 p.m.)

“Westgate was one place where you meet people of different cultures, different tribes, different religions, different everything. I think that was the most special thing,” says survivor Jasmine Postwalla. Housing many restaurants and stores, including Nakumatt, a giant two-floor supermarket, Westgate attracted a wide range of customers. “It was the best mall in Nairobi,” notes one shopper. “It was the place where prominent people come.”

“That Saturday was really a normal Saturday, like any other Saturday,” recalls survivor Amber Prior, who was shopping at the mall with her six-year-old daughter and four-year-old son. Margie Brand and her eight-month-old baby shopped for groceries in Nakumatt, while Valentine Kadzo was setting up a computer display table by the front entrance.

At 12:30 p.m., shopper Andrew Munyua had just passed through the security check to enter the mall when he heard a loud explosion, and the guard who had been searching him fell to the ground. Witnesses recall that gunfire quickly followed the grenade explosion. Security footage shows restaurant patrons falling from their seats, some diving for cover, while others had been knocked to the ground. Niall Saville and his wife, Moon Hee, were eating lunch in Westgate’s burger restaurant when the attack began. “I realized that my wife wasn’t actually behind me,” recalls Saville. “I saw her crawling on the ground, clearly in a lot of pain.”

Chaos reigned in the early moments of the siege, with frightened shoppers running for their lives, unsure of the origin of the attack. “People are confused, they don’t know where to go, stepping on each other,” recalls Valentine. As the security footage shows, when she spotted Katherine Walton and her three young daughters running in different directions, she picked up one of the girls, and all five dove behind the computer display table. Many hid within the mall, while hundreds of shoppers fled to the back of the supermarket.

As two of the gunmen made their way toward Nakumatt, two others headed for the mall’s upper entrance and rooftop, where a children’s cooking competition was taking place. Harveen Sihra, a 15-year-old girl who was shot in the thigh, stomach and foot, recalls the gunman’s words, noting, “The only thing he said was that we are here to kill. You killed our people in Somalia. We normally don’t kill women and children but you kill ours in Somalia and so we are here to take revenge.”

Inside Nakumatt, 20 people had taken refuge behind the meat counter when the gunmen appeared and starting shooting them. Amber, who was protecting her young son and daughter, was shot through the pelvis. Also hit was 15-year-old Makena Kinyua. When the terrorists later asked if there were any children left alive, Amber convinced them to release her children along with Makena and another young boy who had been injured. Ignoring the fact that the gunmen told her she had to stay, Amber and the four children staggered out of the mall to safety.

Outside the mall, 45 minutes after the attack began, there still was no sign of a rescue. While the Kenyan security forces remained outside trying to decide how to proceed, time was running out for the wounded. “We laid there for a very long time,” recalls Jasmine Postwalla, who was trapped on the upper level. “You would expect to see a lot of armed soldiers and all coming up the ramp. Maybe that was what we were expecting, but that didn’t happen.”

Instead, a handful of plainclothes police and civilians decided to act, with veteran combat photographer Goran Tomasevic in tow. “I was not thinking that I could die, that I could get shot. I felt invincible,” says Cpl. Nura Ali, one of the policemen. The victims they encountered on the rooftop had been bleeding for hours, and many clung to their lives during the rescue. “What angered me the most was the fact that [the terrorists] were Muslims, and they were purporting to do whatever they were doing in the name of Islam,” says civilian Abdul Haji, who joined the rescue effort with only a registered handgun. The terrorists released a few hostages who professed the Islamic faith, but many Muslims, like popular Kenyan radio host Ruhila Adatia-Sood, who was seven months pregnant, were killed.

Within the mall, a shootout began between the terrorists and the small group of civilian rescuers and plainclothes policemen. The display table hiding Valentine, Katherine and her daughters, as well as two other women, was caught in the crossfire. “It was instantaneous fear and just dread,” says Katherine. By engaging the terrorists at Nakumatt’s front entrance, the band of rescuers helped more than a hundred trapped civilians escape. Using tear gas, the policemen and civilians were able to divert the terrorists, giving many hidden shoppers the chance to run to safety “Everybody’s close to each other. We don’t know each other, we all come from different communities. But at that time, we were one,” recalls Valentine.

Three and a half hours after the terrorists first struck, the police SWAT team finally entered the mall, but by then the massacre was over and many of the wounded had succumbed to their injuries. Confused and lacking a comprehensive plan, the Kenyan army forces and the SWAT team mistakenly fired at each other, leaving one police officer dead. As a result, both groups left the mall just 90 minutes after they’d arrived. Meanwhile, the terrorists relaxed at the back of Nakumatt’s furniture storeroom, praying and waiting to be attacked by Kenyan forces.

The last group of civilians was rescued more than eight hours after the attack began. The standoff between the terrorists and the Kenyan army lasted 40 more hours, during which five soldiers were killed. Two days after the terrorists struck, the army launched a high explosive shell into Nakumatt. All four terrorists were incinerated, and parts of Westgate Mall burned to the ground.

“I am satisfied that our disciplined forces have responded in a professional and effective manner,” declared Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta. “We have ashamed and defeated our attackers.” Yet Al-Shabaab had a victorious message of its own, proclaiming in a video, “We want to send a message to unbelievers. We entered Westgate and wreaked havoc. God willing, there will be more Westgates. We have hundreds more volunteers.” Westgate mall remains closed, with no plans to reopen.

Dan Reed is a UK-born documentary producer and director whose HBO credits include 2009’s Emmy®-nominated “Terror in Mumbai,” which won the BAFTA TV Award in the Best Current Affairs category, and 2003’s BAFTA-nominated “Terror in Moscow.” His other credits include the Peabody Award winner and BAFTA nominee “The Valley” (1998).

TERROR AT THE MALL was produced and directed by Dan Reed; film editor, Mark Towns; director of photography, Mrinal Desai; executive producer, George Carey; head of production, Rachel Naughton; assistant producer, Sasha Achilli; executive producer for BBC, Sam Bagnall. For HBO: senior producer, Nancy Abraham; executive producer, Sheila Nevins

Press Release: Saban Films Nearing Deal on “American Heist”

SABAN FILMS NEARS DEAL ON ACTION THRILLER “AMERICAN HEIST” FOLLOWING TIFF WORLD PREMIERE

Saban Films Aggressive in Toronto Acquiring John Travolta’s THE FORGER and TRACERS Starring Taylor Lautner

TORONTO – SEPTEMBER, 12 2014 – Haim Saban, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saban Capital Group, Inc., announced today that Saban Films is closing in on a deal to acquire the U.S. distribution rights to Sarik Andreasyan action thriller AMERICAN HEIST starring Hayden Christensen, Academy Award Winner® Adrien Brody, Jordana Brewster, Tory Kittles and Aliaune “AKON” Thiam. The film had its world premiere last night at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Saban Films is emerging as an aggressive buyer in Toronto, acquiring the U.S. rights to John Travolta’s THE FORGER and the action thriller TRACERS starring Taylor Lautner and Marie Avgeropoulos from Temple Hill Entertainment.

“We were eager to see AMERICAN HEIST coming into Toronto and the film lived up to our expectations. It’s just the type of commercial talent driven film we are looking for at Saban,” said Saban Films President Bill Bromiley.”

Glacier Films’ Tove Christensen said: “Sarik pulled together a very exhilarating and commercial film with a brilliant ensemble cast. We are excited to be in business with Saban Films and make a deal in our hometown of Toronto.”

Written by Raul Inglis, the film follows two brothers with troubled pasts who become embroiled in a high-stakes bank robbery. Ness Saban negotiated on behalf of Saban Films and Ben Weiss at Paradigm on behalf of the producers. Voltage is handling international sales.

Saban Films is the new venture, which is headed by President Bill Bromiley, and launched just prior to Cannes where they acquired THE HOMESMAN, starring Academy Award® winners Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank. The film had its world premiere in competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and Saban Films will release stateside with Roadside Attractions on November 14th.

AMERICAN HEIST is a Glacier Films production in association with Maple Leaf Capital, Primeridian Entertainment and NGN Productions. The film is produced by Glacier’s Tove Christensen, Georgy Malkov, Sarik Andreasyan, Gevond Andreasyan and Vladimir Poliakov. Executive producers include Michael Wexler, George Castrounis, Hayden Christensen, Adrien Brody, Aliaune “Akon” Thiam, Jojo Ryder, Arcadiy Golubovich, Jack Nasser and Joseph Nasser

Glacier Films recently launched a $100m fund to ramp up production with a slate that includes: COOTIES starring Elijah Wood, Alison Pill and Rainn Wilson and Kellie Madison’s THE TANK.