The Inbox (Mar. 1-7, 2014)

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: Veronica Mars

See the gallery here

Image Gallery: Oculus

See the gallery here

Press Release: Brandon Routh Stars in “Missing William”

Brandon Routh Stars in the Mysterious ‘Missing William’ For Freestyle Releasing This Spring

Dramatic Thriller Debuts Day and Date Nationwide on March 7, 2014

Los Angeles, CA (March 3, 2014) – Freestyle Digital Media (FDM) and Freestyle Releasing announce today that March 7th, 2014 has been set as the release date for MISSING WILLIAM, the romantic thriller with a twist that stars Brandon Routh (SUPERMAN RETURNS), his real-life wife Courtney Ford (THE GOOD DOCTOR), Reid Scott (VEEP) and Spencer Grammer (IRONSIDE). Directed by Kenn MacRae (winner of Project Greenlight Australia), the film was written by Dan McKinnon, produced by John Santilli and Kendra Robichaud and is slated for a national day and date release on March 7, 2014.

In the film Abby (Ford), a thirty-something artist living in Rhode Island, is caring for her husband, William (Scott), after he is tragically injured in a bar fight. As Abby nurses her husband back to health, James (Routh), her childhood sweetheart, tries to help her enjoy living life again. The complicated love triangle that ensues concludes with a realization that is as surprising as it is profound.

“Much like The Sixth Sense, Missing William keeps you guessing till the very end,” said Jackson, “Freestyle expects great things from this sleeper day and date.”

Recent Freestyle titles include UNDERDOGS, with D.B. Sweeny and Natalie Imbruglia, TIGER EYES, the first big screen adaptation of a Judy Blume novel starring Willa Holland, the critically-acclaimed documentary SAMSARA from filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, and the SXSW festival favorite FUNERAL KINGS from the McManus Brothers .

About Freestyle Digital Media:
Freestyle Digital Media, LLC was founded in November 2011 by its CEO Susan Jackson who is Co-President and founder of independent theatrical distributor Freestyle Releasing, LLC and North American sales company Turtles Crossing, LLC. Freestyle Digital Media supplies quality commercial film and TV content directly to all US VOD/SVOD rental DVD/Kiosks, Television and theaters using the latest cloud-based technologies to automate digital workflow. Freestyle’s goal is to provide fresh, well-marketed product and stay on the cutting edge of the ever-compressing windows to ensure that their partners benefit from a platform that delivers an anytime-anywhere capability in the medium of their choice and a positive digital viewing experience on any device in any location.

Press Release: AFI Graduate Kim Magnusson Wins Oscar for “Helium”

‘HELIUM’ FILLS AFI WITH PRIDE

Oscar®-Winning Short Film Carries On Long Tradition at the American Film Institute

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014, LOS ANGELES, CA – When HELIUM, the story of a terminally ill boy who finds joy in a fantasy world created by an eccentric hospital janitor, won the Oscar® for Best Live Action Short Film at last night’s Academy Awards® ceremony, it extended a long winning streak of excellence by graduates of the American Film Institute Conservatory. Kim Magnusson (AFI Class of 1991) produced the film, one of three nominated projects that had AFI alumni participation. Since 1974, AFI Conservatory graduates have received an astonishing total of 133 nominations and 27 gold statuettes. In addition, a number of marble Student Academy Awards for AFI thesis projects are on display in the Louis B. Mayer Library on AFI’s Hollywood campus.

For Magnusson, known for his work on ADAM’S APPLES (2005), EVIL (2003) and FLICKERING LIGHTS (2000), the Oscar® marked his second win and fifth Academy Award® nomination. “This is for you, mom,” he said in his acceptance speech. In addition to HELIUM, AMERICAN HUSTLE, edited by Jay Cassidy (AFI Class of 1976), and Documentary Short Subject Film CAVEDIGGER, produced and directed by Jeffrey Karoff (AFI Class of 1993), received Academy Award® nominations this year.

About the AFI Conservatory
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. The AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling. AFI Conservatory’s alumni are consistently recognized with all of the major industry awards – Academy® Awards, Emmy® Awards, Guild Awards – and even the Tony Award. Esteemed director, producer and screenwriter James L. Brooks is the Artistic Director to the AFI Conservatory. Sony is a proud supporter of the AFI Conservatory.

Press Release: “Divergent” Advanced Tickets Still on Sale

ADVANCE TICKETS FOR DIVERGENT ON SALE NOW

SANTA MONICA, CA, March 4, 2014 — Advance tickets for the upcoming action adventure film Divergent are on sale now by visiting www.DivergentTheMovie.com/Tickets. Those who purchase their advance tickets today only, March 4th, through Fandango or MovieTickets.com will receive a free Amazon download code for the Kindle eBook version of the novel Divergent by Veronica Roth.* Divergent will be released in theatres and IMAX nationwide by Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE company, on Friday, March 21.

Any moviegoer who purchases advance tickets on MovieTickets.com between now and Sunday, March 31st – or on Fandango between now and Sunday, March 30th – will also be entered in a sweepstakes for the chance to win a walk-on role in the film’s sequel Insurgent. Fandango or MovieTickets.com will each provide one winner with this grand prize, which includes roundtrip airfare for two to Atlanta where Insurgent will be filmed, along with a two-night hotel stay and a tour of the movie’s set. See official rules on Fandango and MovieTickets.com for complete details.

Divergent stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, and Kate Winslet, and is directed by Neil Burger from a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor.

Divergent is an action-adventure film set in a world where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy by a faction leader (Kate Winslet) to destroy all Divergents, Tris must learn to trust in the mysterious Four (Theo James) and together they must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it’s too late. Based on the best-selling book series by Veronica Roth.

Insurgent continues the journey of Tris Prior as war now looms. Sides will be chosen, secrets will emerge, and to uncover the truth about her world, Tris must be stronger than ever because shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead. Insurgent is scheduled for release on March 20, 2015.

The Divergent book series was written by Veronica Roth and has already sold nearly 16 million copies worldwide. The Divergent books have topped the New York Times best-seller list since the first novel was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, in April 2011, and the three books ranked one-two-three on the USA Today best-seller list for 2013. Divergent was written by Roth while she was earning her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University. She followed her first novel with Insurgent, which also rose to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and Allegiant, the third book in the series, set a HarperCollins record when it was released in October 2013.

This film is rated PG-13

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. Lionsgate currently has 34 television shows on 22 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed series Orange is the New Black.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first two installments of The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, A Madea Christmas, Now You See Me, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Warm Bodies, The Expendables 2, The Possession, Sinister, Roadside Attractions’ Mud and Pantelion Films’ breakout hit Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

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.

Press Release: “Genius on Hold” To Release on Freestyle Digital Media

Riveting Documentary ‘GENIUS ON HOLD’ Comes to VOD Via Freestyle Digital Media

Acclaimed Film Will Be Available for Digital Audiences on March 4, 2014.

Los Angeles, CA (March 4, 2014) – Freestyle Digital Media announced today that they have set March 4th, 2014 as the VOD release date for GENIUS ON HOLD, the revealing documentary written and directed by Gregory Marquette (“Innocents”). The film was produced by Walter T. Shaw, and co-produced by Diana Ross-Shaw and is narrated by Academy-Award Nominee Frank Langella (“Frost/Nixon,” “Robot & Frank”).

At the heart of GENIUS ON HOLD is the story of Walter L. Shaw—a brilliant inventor with an astonishing list of telecommunications patents to his name including call forwarding, touchtone dialing, speakerphone and voice recognition. His ground-breaking designs should have earned him great fortune and lasting fame, but for one thing—the power, greed, and oppression of AT&T, the largest, government-sanctioned, telecommunications monopoly in the United States which blocked him from realizing his dream. Punished, imprisoned, and eventually destitute, Shaw was drawn to the only organization that would reward him for his talent—the mob, whose bookies used his “black box” and “blue box” to run their gambling operations and evade the Feds. His son, Walter T. Shaw, embittered by his father’s destruction, turned to organized crime and became one of the most notorious jewel thieves in American history. All to get back at the system that destroyed his family — but at what cost?

GENIUS ON HOLD debuted as an official selection at the Palm Beach International Film Festival and Soho International Film Festival.

Press Release: “Forgetting the Girl” On Home Video April 1

PSHYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FORGETTING THE GIRL STARRING ARGO’S CHRISTOPHER DENHAM COMES TO DVD & BLURAY APRIL 1

March 4, 2014 (NY, NY) – RAM Releasing, the genre shingle under New York-based distributor Film Movement, today announces the home video release of FORGETTING THE GIRL, the tightly-woven psychological thriller starring ARGO’s Christopher Denham as a photographer whose search for love becomes increasingly turbulent, available to own on DVD and Bluray April 1.

Marking filmmaker Nate Taylor’s directorial debut, FORGETTING THE GIRL follows charming photographer Kevin (Denham), who can’t seem to find the right girl to help him forget his traumatic past. Failure after failure, his world soon spirals into madness, and the women he photographs may not be safe after all. Co-starring Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, True Blood) and Lindsay Beamish (Shortbus), the film has been heralded as “a nuanced, image-driven film…” by the L.A. Times and “a smart, well-crafted tale…” by All Things Horror.

The newly-launched RAM Releasing’s first home video release sets the stage for great things to come from the noir label, and also marks the first time either RAM or sister label Film Movement have released a title on Bluray.

Exclusive bonus content available on both DVD and Bluray:
Four never-before-seen deleted scenes!
Behind-the-scenes commentary track with director Nate Taylor!
Five exclusive web videos, featuring footage not in the film!
Theatrical trailer in 5.1 surround sound!
Available on DVD and Bluray on April 1 at Amazon.com and other major retailers, FORGETTING THE GIRL enjoyed a powerhouse VOD release in Fall 2013. Also available on digital platforms, including iTunes and Amazon Instant, Variety says its “the kind of small-budget gem that…impresses with its polished professionalism. A psycho-sexual thriller [that’s] a pleasant surprise!”

FORGETTING THE GIRL | 2013 | Thriller | English | 85 minutes I Unrated

About RAM Releasing:
An ancillary label at FILM MOVEMENT, the North American distributor of award-winning independent films, RAM Releasing is the shot in the arm movies have been waiting for. With an eye for the suspenseful, the action-packed and the noir of the best dark-genre films, RAM Releasing delivers movie experiences in theaters, on DVD and Bluray, and all digital platforms. Established in late 2013 and currently launching a full slate of releases in 2014, RAM Releasing’s first films include current and upcoming hits like Forgetting the Girl, APP and Hide & Seek. To learn more, visit RAMReleasing.com, or follow on Twitter (@RAM_Releasing) and Facebook (/RAMReleasing).

Press Release: Conan O’Brien to Host MTV Movie Awards

CONAN O’BRIEN TO HOST THE “2014 MTV MOVIE AWARDS” LIVE SUNDAY, APRIL 13 FROM LOS ANGELES’ NOKIA THEATRE L.A. LIVE

MTV Releases “2014 MTV Movie Awards Nominees in 15-Seconds” Teaser In Advance of Nominations Announcement on Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 a.m. ET

NEW YORK, NY (March 5, 2014) – Emmy Award-winning comedian and late night talk show host Conan O’Brien announced last night on his show “Conan” that he will take the stage for the first time as host of the “2014 MTV Movie Awards” on Sunday, April 13, 2014 LIVE from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. In addition, MTV today released a “2014 MTV Movie Awards Nominees in 15-Seconds” teaser in advance of its nominations announcement on Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 a.m. ET at www.MovieAwards.MTV.com.

“After eight years of intense negations, I am honored to announce I am hosting MTV’s second most prestigious awards show.”

Known for his unique, quick comedic wit, O’Brien currently hosts the successful late night talk show “Conan” on TBS and was among the first to build out an expansive digital and social presence through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube on the strength of teamcoco.com, making him a favorite of MTV’s Millennial audience. He is a Harvard graduate and two-time president of the venerable and notorious Harvard Lampoon. O’Brien’s illustrious writing career has also included fan-favorite shows “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.”

The “2014 MTV Movie Awards” will once again officially kick-off the summer blockbuster season, promising to deliver yet another epically funny, explosive, over-the-top show that features fan favorite films, actors and musicians. In addition, the show will honor the best films and performances from the past year, while featuring exclusive, never-before-seen moments from some of the most highly-anticipated summer films.

Following the nominations announcement, MTV will release “Nominee Rundown” that will feature the members of Our 2nd Life (O2L), the world’s first-ever pop-culture vlogger boy group, in short segments featuring crazy nominee-related games, stunts and pranks. The content will air on MTV during AMTV and be made available through MTV’s online, mobile and App platforms, as well as through O2L’s social channels. MTV will be working with O2L for the entire Movie Awards campaign up to and including having them as social correspondents for MTV on the Red Carpet.

From comedic sketches, to headlining a 19 city national tour with DigiTour, to simple life-advice, the members of O2L – Connor Franta, Ricky Dillon, JC Caylen, Trevor Moran, Sam Pottorff and Kian Lawley – are among the most popular international millennial brands today collectively commanding over 8 million subscribers and 380 million views on YouTube. The group is managed by Fullscreen.

The 2014 MTV Movie Awards will air across MTV’s global network of more than 60 channels reaching more than half a billion households around the world. In addition, its convergent programming and content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV’s more than 200 digital media properties around the world.

Official sponsors of the “2014 MTV Movie Awards” include Aquafina® FlavorSplash®, Chevrolet, GEICO®, Revlon®, Taco Bell®, T-Mobile® and Unilever.

Last year marked the first time in its history that the “MTV Movie Awards” moved to April from its long-standing home after Memorial Day. Fans responded with 3.8 million total viewers tuning in for the irreverent, star-studded spectacle. The ratings grew over 20 percent versus the previous year with MTV’s core demographic, delivering a strong 3.4 P12-34 rating, and jumped even more among older demographics with a 45 percent increase among P18-34 and a 44 percent increase with P18-49. Across the Viacom networks airing the show (MTV, VH1, MTV2 and Logo) the simulcast averaged 4.8 million viewers. Additionally, the show’s “All Access Live Stream” became the most streamed “MTV Movie Awards” live steam to date with 1.5 million steams.

Jesse Ignjatovic serves as Executive Producer for the “2014 MTV Movie Awards.” Garrett English serves as Executive Producer and Executive in Charge for MTV. Lee Lodge and Jen Jones serve as Executive Producers. Wendy Plaut serves as Co-Executive Producer and Executive in Charge of Celebrity Talent. Amy Doyle is Executive in Charge of Music and Celebrity Talent. Joanna Bomberg is Executive in Charge of Music Talent.

To download video/art assets, go to www.mtvpress.com.

About MTV:
MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV’s sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.

About Den of Thieves:
Founded in 2007 by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager to create, develop and produce original television, Den of Thieves has emerged as a force for ambitious event shows and uniquely stylized reality television series. Using their extensive experience working with talent, their credits cover a vast array of formats and include VH1’s “The T.O. Show,” Comedy Central’s “Russell Brand in New York City”, Bravo’s “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley,” as well as the CMT Country Awards.

Press Release: “In Conversation” to PLay New York Sound City March 17

‘In Conversation’ with Vivek Tiwary and Billy J Kramer announced for New York Sound City, Monday, March 17th, 2014

New York, NEW YORK (March 5, 2014) – Award winning producer of Broadway shows and films, and New York Times best-selling author of graphic novel, ‘The Fifth Beatle’, based on the life of The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, Vivek J. Tiwary has confirmed he will join this year’s New York Sound City conference for an exclusive ‘In Conversation’ with friend and former charge of Brian Epstein, Merseybeat singer, Billy J. Kramer.

With a feature film on ‘The Fifth Beatle’ currently in production and the 50 year anniversary of The Beatles’ US invasion celebrated across the globe, Vivek and Billy J. Kramer join the event at a poignant and exciting time to talk about their work on this incredible project, their experiences and the unprecedented access they have gained to The Beatles music catalog.

David Pichilingi, CEO of New York Sound City, comments, “We are delighted that Billy J. Kramer and Vivek J. Tiwary will be joining the New York Sound City conference, both have enthralling life stories and will provide a fascinating insight on Brian Epstein, who has had a profound impact on them both. It’s an absolute pleasure to have them involved.”

Hot on the heels of SXSW, New York Sound City offers an exciting networking opportunity for the industry, both companies and artists, in one of the most exciting cities in the world. The conversation will top a day of previously announced panels and discussions with international music and media industry professionals.

For further information and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk/home/about/new-york-sound-city.aspx

About Vivek J. Tiwary
Vivek J. Tiwary is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning producer of Broadway shows, film, television, and graphic novels.

He is the producer and writer of “The Fifth Beatle,” a New York Times best-selling graphic novel based on the life of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. “The Fifth Beatle” has secured unprecedented access to Beatles’ music and a feature film is in development to shoot in 2014. “The Fifth Beatle” will be produced by Academy Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen (AMERICAN BEAUTY, MILK, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.)

Vivek is attached to lead produce a Broadway adaptation of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. The production will include the participation of Morissette, as well as that of Pulitzer and Tony award winner Tom Kitt.

In television, Vivek sold a sitcom pilot “Punk Rock Dad” to CBS, based on the bestselling memoir/parenting manual by Pennywise lead singer Jim Lindberg. He is developing a number of additional series including Amelia Rules! — a children’s film franchise and television series based on the series of tween graphic novels by New York Times best-selling author Jimmy Gownley.

On Broadway, Vivek’s productions have won a combined 25 Tony Awards from 44 Tony nominations—every single one of his shows have been decorated. They include “The Addams Family,” Green Day’s “American Idiot” (the groundbreaking adaptation of the superstar rock band’s multi-platinum album), Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” (the most Tony Awards ever) and “Young Frankenstein”, “A Raisin In The Sun” (starring Sean Combs), and “A Little Night Music” (starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury). Off-Broadway, Vivek produced a theatrical collaboration between electropop/performance artists Fischerspooner and avant-garde theatre collective The Wooster Group (founded by Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, and others) that launched the 2008 Sao Paulo Art Bienal.

Vivek also serves on the Board of Directors for Valiant Entertainment (www.valiantentertainment.com), a multi-platform company that boasts the third largest and most-loved universe of comic book characters and has been hailed by the New York Times as “Marvel 2.0”.

Prior to founding Tiwary Entertainment Group (www.tiwaryent.com) and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music-industry positions, including launching and heading the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records, and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with MTV and VH1. Vivek has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum including Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Kiss, LL Cool J, John Mellencamp, Allen Ginsberg, Oasis, Hanson, 311 and The Mighty Mighty BossTones to name but a few.

Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call (www.musiciansoncall.org), a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process.

Vivek is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences. He also holds a filmmaking certificate from The New York Film Academy and is an acting student of Susan Batson/Black Nexxus Acting Studio.

Press Release: Opening Night Gala Film for Indian Film Festival Announced

THE 12th ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES OPENING NIGHT GALA FILM

Festival appoints Jasmine Jaisinghani as Artistic Director

Jeffrey D. Brown’s SOLD, starring Gillian Anderson, David Arquette, Seema Biswas, and executive produced by Emma Thompson, will make its Los Angeles Premiere as the Opening Night Gala film.

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 5, 2014) – The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced today the Opening Night Gala film, SOLD, a harrowing and inspiring story of child trafficking directed by Jeffrey D. Brown, executive produced by Emma Thompson, and starring Gillian Anderson, David Arquette, and Seema Biswas.

The full line-up of screenings and events will be announced in mid-March. The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema. Celebrating its 12th year, IFFLA will run April 8 to 13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception.

Through one extraordinary girl’s journey, SOLD illustrates the brutality of child trafficking, a crime experienced by millions of girls every year around the globe. SOLD is a clarion call to action and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

“Because of SOLD’s marvelous script and courageous and brilliant cast,” said Emma Thompson, “it is a story that we can ALL watch – so that we may understand the processes of slavery in modern India and feel able to act without feeling the kind of rage and hopelessness that gets in the way of doing anything.”

SOLD is an adaptation of the National Book Award-nominated novel by Patricia McCormick, based on true accounts. The book has been translated into 32 languages and is a powerful entry point to introduce young people to the issue of modern day slavery.

Director Jeffery D. Brown and select A-list cast and supporters will be in attendance at the Opening Night Gala.

Nirvana-Bombay Palace will host the Opening Night Gala Reception in Beverly Hills. This year’s exclusive after-party will align with Nirvana’s sophisticated and positively vibrant atmosphere in an intimate setting that features masterful culinary renditions of Indian cuisine.

In addition, the appointment of Jasmine Jaisinghani as the festival’s first-ever Artistic Director was announced today by Christina Marouda, IFFLA’s Founder and Chair of the Board.

“We’re thrilled to have Jasmine on board as our Artistic Director,” said Marouda. “She was our first Festival Coordinator in 2005, and has been associated with IFFLA since. This feels like a full circle, and we could not think of a more deserving person to take on this position.”

Jasmine Jaisinghani comes to IFFLA from AFI FEST where she served as the Cultural and Industry Relations Director and headed Guest Services. An independent producer of Indian-Mexican descent, Jasmine has also worked extensively in the music industry, including a tenure at George Harrison’s record label Dark Horse.

Rounding out this year’s programming team are Director of Programming Mike Dougherty, Documentary Film Programmer Sudeep Sharma, and Short Film Programmer Thouly Dosios.

Tickets and Passes
The 12th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) runs April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood, located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd between Vine and Ivar.
Festival Passes and Opening Night Gala tickets go on sale March 5 at the festival’s website. Individual screening tickets go on sale March 20.

About IFFLA
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.

The six-day festival is the premiere platform for the latest in cutting-edge global Indian cinema and bridges the gap between the two largest entertainment industries in the world – Hollywood and India. The festival will showcase more than 30 films from the Indian filmmaking community across the globe, host the highly anticipated Opening and Closing red carpet Galas, and the Closing Awards ceremony. This year will feature again the wildly popular “Bollywood by Night” series, live music, and dance performances.

About ArcLight Cinemas
ArcLight Cinemas, created by Pacific Theatres, represents an evolution in the movie-going experience. ArcLight Cinemas, with locations in Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena, and El Segundo, offers an unprecedented combination of technology, amenities, comfort, and customer service. Facilities include the historic Cinerama Dome (only at the Hollywood location) and state-of-the-art “black box” auditoriums as well as a cafe bar and a cinema-focused gift shop. Tickets can be purchased online without a fee and printed at home and at the theaters’ automated ticketing kiosks. For more information about ArcLight, visit www.ArcLightcinemas.com.

OPENING NIGHT GALA

SOLD
Los Angeles Premiere
U.S.A./2014/97 minutes
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong and Jeffrey D. Brown
Producers: Jane Charles (Producer), Emma Thompson (Executive), Jessica Dhillon (Co-Executive), Anadil Hossain (Co-Executive), Jennifer Reibman (Co-Executive), Kavi Virk (Co-Executive), Joseph Kwong (Co-Producer), Katie Mustard (Co-Producer)

Composers: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Gillian Anderson, David Arquette, Seema Biswas

Logline: A girl risks everything for freedom after being trafficked from her mountain village in Nepal to a brothel in India.

Press Release: Amplify & Go USA Team Up for “The Zero Theorem”

AMPLIFY AND WELL GO USA TEAM UP TO OPEN MINDS WITH TERRY GILLIAM’S THE ZERO THEOREM

Gilliam’s return to sci-fi, starring Christoph Waltz, to hit US theaters this summer.

New York, NY March 5, 2014 – Amplify and Well Go USA Entertainment have teamed up to acquire the U.S. rights to acclaimed director Terry Gilliam’s science-fiction opus, THE ZERO THEOREM. The partners will release the film to theaters across the US in late summer, with a home video release to follow. Amplify will handle theatrical and digital distribution rights, with Well Go USA releasing the film on DVD and Blu-ray.

Directed by Gilliam (Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, Monty Python and the Holy Grail), THE ZERO THEOREM stars two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds) as Qohen Leth, an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst. Living in isolation in a burnt-out church, Qohen is obsessively working on a mysterious project personally delegated to him by Management (Matt Damon) aimed at discovering the meaning of life – or the lack thereof – once and for all. Increasingly disturbed by unwanted visits from people he doesn’t fully trust, including the flirtatious Bainsley (Mélanie Thierry), Management’s wunderkind son Bob (Lucas Hedges), his unpredictable colleague Joby (David Thewlis), and would-be digital therapist Dr. Shrink-Rom (Tilda Swinton), it’s only when he experiences the power of love and desire that he’s able to understand his own reason for being.

“For all of us at Amplify and Well Go, it’s an absolute dream to have the chance to work with a visionary like Terry,” said Amplify’s Kent Sanderson. “As someone who wore out a VHS of Brazil and saw Twelve Monkeys in theaters three times, I can say on the whole team’s behalf that we’re incredibly excited to share his new take on society gone awry with the widest possible audience.”

“THE ZERO THEOREM is a very unique film that I’m especially proud of, so it is a relief to be distributed by a company that is not afraid to push the boundaries,” said Terry Gilliam.

THE ZERO THEOREM was directed by Terry Gilliam from a script by Pat Rushin, and produced by Academy Award winner Nicolas Chartier and Dean Zanuck. The deal was orchestrated by Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard Rose of Voltage Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers, Sanderson, Dylan Marchetti, and Logan Mulvey on behalf of Amplify and Doris Pfardrescher on behalf of Well Go USA.

ABOUT AMPLIFY
Amplify is a bi-coastal all-rights distribution company that aims to bring the best in global independent film to theaters and beyond. Formed in 2014 from a merger of innovative theatrical distributor Variance Films (Sound City, Red Hook Summer, Go For Sisters) and leading digital distributor GoDigital, Amplify uses cutting edge marketing and distribution techniques with a focus on working directly with filmmakers to craft hand-tailored release campaigns for each film. Led by an executive team comprised of GoDigital’s Logan Mulvey, Variance Films’ Dylan Marchetti, and former Focus Features executive Kent Sanderson, Amplify is financed by Preferred Ventures. Upcoming releases from Amplify include Stuart Murdoch’s musical God Help The Girl.

ABOUT WELL GO USA
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing top content, including the best in genre and Asian cinema, to North America and Asia. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go’s titles can be seen across a variety of formats and platforms, including theatrical, video-on-demand, digital, packaged media and broadcast television. Since 1994, Well Go has acquired and released over 2,000 titles worldwide and currently releases three to five films per month. Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters are in Plano, TX with offices in Taiwan and China.

ABOUT VOLTAGE PICTURES
Founded in 2005, Voltage Pictures is an international sales, finance and production operation run by Academy Award winner Nicolas Chartier. In nine years, Voltage has built a library of over 175 films. Voltage’s first in house production was The Hurt Locker which went on to win six Oscars including Best Picture. The company has since produced a number of films, including The Company You Keep, directed by Robert Redford, starring Robert Redford and Shia LaBeouf and Don Jon, written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who also starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore and had a wide release in the fall of 2013 by Relativity Media.

Voltage was recently up for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, for Dallas Buyers Club. The film won three Oscars; Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor in a Lead Role, Jared Leto for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Hair/Makeup.

Voltage is currently in production on the Ethan Hawke film Good Kill, which also stars January Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Bruce Greenwood and Jake Abel. Production will soon begin on the Gabriele Muccino-helmed Fathers and Daughters, starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Paul, Quvenzhane Wallis, Octavia Spencer and Diane Kruger.

Press Release: 2014 MTV Movie Awards Nominees Announced

CON-MEN, COMEDIANS, HOBBITS, PARTY ANIMALS, TRIBUTES AND MORE BATTLE IT OUT FOR CINEMATIC SUPREMACY LIVE AT THE “2014 MTV MOVIE AWARDS”

Voting For Movie Awards Categories Opens Today, March 6 at 7:00AM ET / 4:00AM PT at MovieAwards.MTV.com

24th Annual “MTV Movie Awards” Hosted by Conan O’Brien Will Air Live Sunday, April 13 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on MTV from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California

NEW YORK, NY (March 6, 2014) – MTV today announced the nominees for the “2014 MTV Movie Awards,” setting the stage for an epic showdown between critically-acclaimed films The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle, comedic hits We’re the Millers and This Is The End, blockbuster franchises The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and more. Hosted by Emmy Award winning comedian and late night host, Conan O’Brien, the show will broadcast LIVE on Sunday, April 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT from the Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles, California.

Fans can get in on the fierce competition by casting votes for their favorite nominees at www.MovieAwards.MTV.com beginning today, Thursday, March 6 through Saturday, April 12 in categories you’ll never see in any other awards show, including Best Comedic Performance, Best Villain, Best Kiss, Best Scared-As-S**t Performance, Best Musical Moment, #WTF Moment, Best On-Screen Duo, Best Fight, Best Shirtless Performance and more. Voting for Movie of the Year will continue throughout the live broadcast of the show.

This year, the “MTV Movie Awards” has the distinction of being the only Awards show to nominate cinematic legend Robert De Niro, Kanye West and Joan Rivers in the same category (Best Cameo), see Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto take on Ice Cube and Kevin Hart (Best On-Screen Duo), and pit Jennifer Aniston against some of the hottest men on the planet (Zac Efron, Chris Hemsworth, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sam Claflin) for the coveted Best Shirtless Performance category.

The show will once again officially kick-off the summer blockbuster season, promising to deliver yet another epically funny, explosive, over-the-top show that features fan favorite films, actors and musicians. In addition, the show will honor the best films and performances from the past year, while featuring exclusive, never-before-seen moments from some of the most highly-anticipated summer films.

THE NOMINEES FOR THE “2014 MTV MOVIE AWARDS” ARE:

MOVIE OF THE YEAR
12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Director: Steve McQueen
Producers: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas, Bill Pohlad, and Arnon Milchan

American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Director: David O. Russell
Producers: Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Director: Peter Jackson
Producers: Carolynne Cunningham, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Zane Weiner,

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Producers: Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik

The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Producers: Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joey McFarland, Emma Tillinger Koskoff and Riza Aziz

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Amy Adams – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Jennifer Aniston – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)
Sandra Bullock – Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Bradley Cooper – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Josh Hutcherson – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Liam James – The Way Way Back (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station (The Weinstein Company)
Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)
Margot Robbie – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Miles Teller – The Spectacular Now (A24 Films)

BEST KISS
Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson – Don Jon (Relativity Media)
James Franco, Ashley Benson and Vanessa Hudgens – Spring Breakers (A24 Films)
Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller – The Spectacular Now (A24 Films)
Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)

BEST FIGHT
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Paramount Pictures) – Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell vs. James Marsden vs. Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Kanye West vs. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vs. Jim Carrey and Marion Cotillard vs. Will Smith vs. Liam Neeson and John C. Reilly vs. Greg Kinnear
Identity Thief (Universal Pictures) – Jason Bateman vs. Melissa McCarthy
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly vs. Orcs
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate) – Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Sam Claflin vs. Mutant Monkeys
This is the End (Columbia Pictures) – Jonah Hill vs. James Franco and Seth Rogen

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Kevin Hart – Ride Along (Universal Pictures)
Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Johnny Knoxville – Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Paramount Pictures)
Melissa McCarthy – The Heat (20th Century Fox)
Jason Sudeikis – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)

BEST SCARED-AS-S**T PERFORMANCE
Rose Byrne – Insidious: Chapter 2 (FilmDistrict)
Jessica Chastain – Mama (Universal Pictures)
Vera Farmiga – The Conjuring (New Line Cinema)
Ethan Hawke – The Purge (Universal Pictures)
Brad Pitt – World War Z (Paramount Pictures)

BEST ON-SCREEN DUO
Amy Adams and Christian Bale – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker – Fast & Furious 6 (Universal Pictures)
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart – Ride Along (Universal Pictures)
Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)

BEST SHIRTLESS PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Aniston – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)
Sam Claflin – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Zac Efron – That Awkward Moment (Focus Features)
Chris Hemsworth – Thor: The Dark World (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

#WTF MOMENT
Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Paramount Pictures)
The Channel 4 News Team’s afternoon is no longer a delight as their speeding van filled with bowling balls, scorpions and hot oil takes a tumble on the highway.

Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll –Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Paramount Pictures)
Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll manage to strike fear into a room full of unsuspecting beauty pageant-loving parents thanks to a bump n’ grind dance routine to a Warrant classic.

Cameron Diaz – The Counselor (20th Century Fox)
Having sex in a car is pretty much a rite of passage, but having sex with a car? Cameron Diaz’s Malkina gets down and dirty with a bright yellow Ferrari to show the world how it’s done.

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Leonardo DiCaprio’s iconic portrayal of excessive Wall Street player Jordan Belfort takes a turn for the insane when he takes his Lamborghini for a spin.

Danny McBride and Channing Tatum – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)
Danny McBride shows an apocalyptic world, and uncomfortable theater-goers everywhere, that there’s no better pet than a scantily-clad Channing Tatum.

BEST VILLAIN
Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Benedict Cumberbatch – Star Trek into Darkness (Paramount Pictures)
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mila Kunis – Oz The Great and Powerful (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Donald Sutherland – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

BEST ON-SCREEN TRANSFORMATION
Christian Bale – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Elizabeth Banks – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)
Orlando Bloom – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

BEST MUSICAL MOMENT
Backstreet Boys, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)
Spoiler alert! Backstreet Boys reunite in heaven to perform “Everybody” with signature boy band moves and flair for this unforgettable apocalyptic ending.

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Lawrence cleans and dances her frustrations away as she mouths the words to 70s classic “Live and Let Die.”

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
During his wedding reception, DiCaprio’s fraudulent Jordan Belfort pops and locks it to Bo Diddley’s “Pretty Thing.”

Melissa McCarthy – Identity Thief (Universal Pictures)
To ease the tension of stealing Sandy’s identity, McCarthy’s Diana shows her musical range as she attempts to sing along with the car radio — and even hits that high note in “Barracuda.”

Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)
With eyes wide shut, Poulter’s Kenny Rossmore throws it back to the 90s with a hilarious rendition of TLC’s “Waterfalls.”

BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE
Robert De Niro – American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Paramount Pictures)
Kanye West – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Paramount Pictures)
Joan Rivers – Iron Man 3 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Rihanna – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)

BEST HERO
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent – Man of Steel (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man – Iron Man 3 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Chris Hemsworth as Thor – Thor: The Dark World (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Channing Tatum as John Cale – White House Down (Columbia Pictures)

2014 MTV Movie Awards: Total Number of Combined Category Nominations for Movies
American Hustle 8
The Wolf of Wall Street 8
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 7
We’re the Millers 6
12 Years a Slave 4
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 4
Dallas Buyers Club 4
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 4
This is the End 4
Identity Thief 2
Iron Man 3 2
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa 2
Ride Along 2
The Spectacular Now 2
Thor: The Dark World 2
Captain Phillips 1
Don Jon 1
Fast & Furious 6 1
Fruitvale Station 1
Gravity 1
Insidious: Chapter 2 1
Mama 1
Man of Steel 1
Oz The Great and Powerful 1
Spring Breakers 1
Star Trek Into Darkness 1
That Awkward Moment 1
The Conjuring 1
The Counselor 1
The Heat 1
The Purge 1
The Way Way Back 1
White House Down 1
World War Z 1

2014 MTV Movie Awards: Total Number of Combined Studio Nominations
Paramount 16
Columbia 14
Universal Pictures 7
Lionsgate 7
New Line Cinema 7
Warner Bros. 6
Focus Features 5
Fox Searchlight Pictures 5
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 5
A24 Films 3
20th Century Fox 2
FilmDistrict 1
Relativity Media 1
The Weinstein Company 1

Official sponsors of the “2014 MTV Movie Awards” include Aquafina® FlavorSplash®, Chevrolet, GEICO®, Revlon®, Taco Bell®, T-Mobile® and Unilever.

About Den of Thieves:
Founded in 2007 by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager to create, develop and produce original television, Den of Thieves has emerged as a force for ambitious event shows and uniquely stylized reality television series. Using their extensive experience working with talent, their credits cover a vast array of formats and include VH1’s “The T.O. Show,” Comedy Central’s “Russell Brand in New York City”, Bravo’s “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley,” as well as the CMT Country Awards.

Press Release: “Nymphomaniac, Volume One” Now Available on FlixFling

Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac Now Available on Innovative Streaming Movie Service FlixFling

New York, NY – March 6, 2014 – Innovative application-based subscription and On-Demand streaming service FlixFling is pleased that it is now offering a pre-theatrical window of Lars von Trier’s much talked-about film Nymphomaniac: Volume One beginning today, Thursday, March 6th, 2014, more than two weeks prior to its theatrical bow. Nymphomaniac: Volume Two will follow soon after, with a VOD date of March 20th, prior to its April 4th theatrical bow.

The film stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Shia LaBeouf, and Stacy Martin. Volume One also stars Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Connie Nielsen, and Udo Kier, while Volume Two stars Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth, and Jean-Marc Barr in addition to Gainsbourg, Skarsgård, Martin and LaBeouf.

Due to its graphic sexual themes, von Trier’s film has generated a certain amount of controversy, something that FlixFling CEO Thomas Ashley embraces, having released other, even more notorious films in the past. “We’re not afraid of controversy,” he says. “A lot of folks have been afraid of those films, saying that they were too extreme and that we shouldn’t release them but this is our business, whether a film is hard to watch or not. We like to release films the way the filmmaker intended.”

Von Trier’s film is being released in the US by indie distributor Magnolia Pictures, which has a dedicated channel on FlixFling and which distributed von Trier’s last film, Melancholia (also available on FlixFling). The service currently has approximately 15,000 titles, with many titles exclusive to the service. “We’ve got a good relationship with Magnolia,” said Ashley. “Magnolia’s catalogue embodies the FlixFling spirit of supporting great independent cinema.”

About FlixFling
FlixFling is the widest available VOD service, currently available on virtually all Internet-enabled mobile devices, laptops, and desktop computers, as well as on Yahoo Connected TVs, Samsung Apps, Google Play, Roku, Vidora, Vizio, Windows 8, from within Facebook, and in the iTunes App Store. The company is launching support for UltraViolet and an Xbox application early this spring.

FlixFling offers customers three ways to enjoy their favorite independent and hard-to-find films: A monthly subscription model, pay-as-you go rental, and the option to purchase their films and store them in the service’s digital locker, MyFlix. Customers can “fling” their favorite titles seamlessly between devices for an interactive, effortless movie-watching experience.

Press Release: Principal Photography Begins on “A Hologram for the King”

TOM TYKWER’S “A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING” STARRING TOM HANKS LOCKS IN CAST AS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS IN MOROCCO

Produced by X Filme Creative Pool, Primeridian and Playtone in Association with Silver Reel Entertainment and Fábrica de Cine

Berlin, 6th March 2014 – Shooting starts in Morocco today on the comedic drama “A Hologram for the King,” which is being directed by Tom Tykwer (“Cloud Atlas”, “Perfume”), who also adapted the script from the eponymous novel by Dave Eggers. The independently-financed production stars multiple Oscar® winner Tom Hanks alongside a remarkable cast including: Sarita Choudhury (“Homeland”), Omar Elba (“Intelligence”), Tracey Fairaway (“Enough Said”), David Menkin (“Zero Dark Thirty”) and Tom Skerritt (“Ted”, “Top Gun”).

“A Hologram for the King” is being produced by Uwe Schott (“Cloud Atlas”, “Me and Kaminski”) and Stefan Arndt (“Cloud Atlas”, “Amour”) of X Filme Creative Pool; Arcadiy Golubovich and Timothy D. O’Hair of Primeridian; and Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman (“Larry Crown”, “Mamma Mia”) of Playtone; in Association with Silver Reel Entertainment, and Fábrica de Cine. Dave Eggers, Steven Shareshian of Playtone, Claudia Bluemhuber of Silver Reel, Gaston Pavlovich of Fabrica de Cine, and Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel of Lotus International will executive produce. Lotus introduced the picture at AFM in November and is handling international sales. CAA is representing the domestic rights.

The picture takes place far away from the recession-weary USA, as an up-and-coming Saudi Arabian city provides the backdrop for foundering American businessman Alan Clay’s (Tom Hanks) last-ditch effort to stave off bankruptcy, pay his daughter’s college fees, and finally accomplish something big. “A Hologram for the King” is a gentle, crazy, wistful ballad recounting the journey of a man, who has lost almost everything, to a country that requires him to rise to completely unknown challenges – and that answers old questions in new and unexpected ways.

“A Hologram for the King” reunites Hanks, Tykwer, Schott, and Arndt after working together on “Cloud Atlas,” which has grossed over $130 million globally.

Shooting will take place in Morocco and Germany and will continue until June. X Verleih will distribute the film in Germany.

Published by McSweeney’s in 2012, A Hologram for the King, was a finalist for that year’s National Book Award and was also featured in The New York Times Best Seller list.

Press Release: “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” Restored for 40th Anniversary

MPI/Dark Sky Films To Release The Restored Version of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE In Celebration Of The 40th Anniversary

Tobe Hooper’s 1974 American Classic

March 6th, 2014 (Chicago, IL) – MPI/Dark Sky Films, one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films, announced today they will be releasing a restored version The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic. The re-release comes in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary, with the restoration having its unveiling at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas next week.

In 1973, Tobe Hooper, a cast of unknown actors, and a crew of Austin film students and recent graduates headed to Round Rock, Texas in the middle of July. For the next 32 days they worked around the clock in 100 degree weather to make The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The movie became a huge hit on the drive-in circuit and eventually grossed $30 million. It was invited to the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight, and was acquired as part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Since then, it has become the eighth highest-grossing horror franchise of all time. In 2012, Sight & Sound magazine named it one of the 250 most important movies ever made.

The new version of the film will be released in theaters this summer with a brand new 4K transfer, roughly four times the resolution of today’s more commonly used 2K for cinema. This is the only transfer of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to go back to the original 16mm A/B rolls, the actual film that rolled through the cameras.

The restoration of the film, overseen by Todd Wieneke of Dark Sky Films, took place at NOLO Digital Film in Chicago with the use of an ARRISCAN Film Scanner.

Taking 5 months of 40-hour workweeks to complete the color grading and the restoration, NOLO engineer Boris Seagraves stated, “This film probably needed the most restoration of any project we’ve done.”

Having been shot on less expensive 16mm film stock and cheaper, tougher “reversal” stock, (which means there is no negative), the restoration started by taking the original 16mm film that rolled through the cameras and transferred all 120,960 frames to a 4K scan.

Scratches, film stains, chemical stains, dirt, torn perforations, rips in the film image and glue splices had to go through a pain-staking correction process frame by frame. “There were hundreds, if not thousands, of instances where you’d find a splice mark cooked into the middle of a frame. Some frames would have close to two hundred dirt events on them. We also spent a lot of time stabilizing the image. When doing a digital scan of a conformed 16mm print with a splice at every cut, it can be tough to achieve the high standards we all aspire to in the era of digital cinema. What might have passed as acceptable in the 70’s looks jarring now. So we worked hard to smooth out the tremors that almost inevitably occur when scanning this type of film element. There were tears in the film that we had to digitally rebuild from adjacent frames. There were tens of thousands of things we were dealing with”, said Seagraves.

Estimating that he spent about 50 hours on the color correction alone, NOLO Colorist Michael Matusek used a previous transfer of the film that had been supervised by Tobe Hooper as his guide to a rough color correction. Tobe Hooper then gave notes on this roughly timed version, and the process of adjusting the color began.

Hooper, who helped score the film and did the sound design, was also deeply involved with the audio restoration.

Todd Wieneke stated, “I’ve seen the film literally frame-by-frame and I’m still hearing and seeing things I never noticed before…it just adds a whole different level”. Matusek added, “This 4K scan delivers such an intense reality that it feels like you’re really seeing through the film to the actual world behind it.

Tobe Hooper stated, “I haven’t seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on the big screen for many, many years. This 40th anniversary restoration is absolutely the best the film has ever looked. The color and clarity is spectacular, displaying visual details in the film that were never before perceptible. The newly remastered 7.1 soundtrack breathes new life and energy into the film. I am very much looking forward to audiences experiencing this film as they never have before”.

Now, 40 years after it’s initial release and coming back home, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s new transfer can be seen with a fresh pair of eyes having its world premiere at SXSW, Monday, March 10th at 9:30pm at the Topfer Theatre.

Details regarding the film’s theatrical re-release this summer will be announced in the coming months.

Press Release: “The Fifth Beatle” Nominated for Lambda Literary Award

THE FIFTH BEATLE NOMINATED FOR FIRST ANNUAL LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FOR BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL

March 7, NEW YORK, NY— Vivek J. Tiwary’s debut graphic novel, The Fifth Beatle has been named a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for “Best LGBT Graphic Novel.” This is the first year for the graphic novel category, which celebrates achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writing for graphic novels published in 2013. The Fifth Beatle, published by Dark Horse, has already garnered recognition as a New York Times #1 Best-Seller for three weeks upon release in November.

Started in 1989, The Lambda Literary Awards, or the “Lammys”, were created to celebrate and preserve LGBT literature through programs that honor excellence, promote visibility and encourage up-and-coming writers. In its 26th year, there were 746 submissions across 24 categories. Winners will be announced during a ceremony on June 2nd in New York City, in conjunction with Book Expo America.

“What an honor to be nominated for a Lammy!” Tiwary said. “‘The Fifth Beatle’ Brian Epstein was homosexual at time when it was deemed a felony, and yet he dreamed of spreading the Beatles’ message of love across the globe– while tragically needing to hide his own love away. His story has deeply inspired me in both my personal and professional life, so I’m full of joy that this recognition by the Lambda Literary Foundation will further spread Brian Epstein’s inspiring life story to others.”

Fellow nominees in the Lammy’s “Best LGBT Graphic Novel” category are: Artifice, written by Alex Woolfson and illustrated by Winona Nelson; Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir, by Nicole J. Georges; and Duck! Second Chances, by Tana Ford.

Vivek J. Tiwary, who is a multiple Tony Award–winning producer (Green Day’s American Idiot, The Addams Family, Mel Brooks’ The Producers) wrote the novel, which was painted by fanboy favorites Andrew C. Robinson (Dusty Star, King Conan, Starman, Superman) and Kyle Baker (The Shadow, Plastic Man.) The Fifth Beatle is the untold true story of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who discovered and guided the Beatles to unprecedented international stardom. More than merely the story of “The Man Who Made The Beatles,” The Fifth Beatle is an uplifting, tragic, and ultimately inspirational human story about the struggle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Epstein was homosexual when it was illegal to be so in the United Kingdom, Jewish during a period of pervasive anti-Semitism, and from Liverpool when it was considered just a dingy port town. He helped spread the Beatles’ message of love to the entire world, yet died painfully lonely at the young age of thirty-two, consumed by staggering ambition and the endless struggles that came with it. The Fifth Beatle is available in bookstores everywhere and on Amazon.com.

The Fifth Beatle film adaptation, written and produced by Tiwary, has Peyton Reed (BRING IT ON, THE BREAK-UP) signed on to direct and Academy Award-winner Bruce Cohen (AMERICAN BEAUTY, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK) is attached as producer as well.

About Vivek J. Tiwary
Vivek J. Tiwary is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning producer of Broadway shows, film, television, and graphic novels.

Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call (www.musiciansoncall.org), a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process.

Press Release: “The Anonymous People” Opens March 14

KINO LORBER AND ALIVE MIND CINEMA PRESENT THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE DOCUMENTARY ON RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL SET TO OPEN ON MARCH 14 AT QUAD CINEMAS IN NEW YORK CITY

DVD and Digital screeners are available upon request

New York, NY – March 7, 2014 – Alive Mind Cinema is proud to announce the New York theatrical release of The Anonymous People, a feature-length documentary about the 23.5 million Americans living in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

Set to open in New York City on Friday, March 14, at Quad Cinemas, the film will expand to other markets in the next months.
Directed by Greg Williams, The Anonymous People features prominent people who are living publicly in long-term recovery, including former NBA star Chris Herren, award-winning actress Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock From the Sun, The Exes), Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner, best-selling author William Cope Moyers, former congressmen Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad – and many others. Their brave testimonies dispel long-standing clichés about addiction and recovery.

The addiction recovery advocacy movement questions the approach the U.S. has taken in regards to addiction: criminalizing a health condition, marginalizing those impacted, and giving superficial treatment to the chronic illness of addiction. This failure has resulted in an annual price tag of over $350 billion, lost lives and disrupted families and communities.

The Anonymous People explores how deeply entrenched social stigma and discrimination have kept recovery voices silent for decades. The vacuum created by this stigma has been filled by sensational depictions of addiction that continue to perpetuate a fascination with the dysfunctional side of what is a preventable and treatable health condition.