The Inbox (May 24-30, 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.

Press Release: Robert De Niro and Robert Pattinson Join “Idol’s Eye” Cast

ROBERT PATTINSON AND ROBERT DE NIRO HEADLINE CAST OF ‘IDOL’S EYE’ FROM BENAROYA PICTURES

International Film Trust to handle foreign sales leading into Toronto

Los Angeles, CA (May 27, 2014)— Benaroya Pictures has announced today that they are now on board to produce and finance director Olivier Assayas’ IDOL’S EYE, with a confirmed cast that includes Robert Pattinson and Robert De Niro. Charles Gillibert developed and produced the project with CG Cinema, Bluegrass Films’ Scott Stuber, Film 360’s Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan and Michael Benaroya, with Ben Sachs executive producing for Benaroya Pictures. The film is scheduled to begin principal photography in October in Chicago and Toronto.

The plot elements are currently under wraps, but it has been described as a sophisticated, heist action/thriller.

International Film Trust, which was co-founded by Benaroya, will be handling foreign sales of the title heading into the summer and the Toronto International Film Festival under the helm of IFT President, Christian De Gallegos. CAA, which arranged financing for the film, will represent domestic rights along with WME.

Assayas had the English-language drama CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA playing in competition in Cannes. The film stars Juliette Binoche, Kristin Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz and was produced by Gillibert’s GC Cinema.

Founded in 2013, CG Cinema is geared towards the development of directors and focused on international projects including Mia Hansen Love’s film EDEN, and Jonas Cuaron’s DESIERTO. Between 2006 and 2012 while at mk2, Gillibert produced and supervised distribution and sales of more than 20 films, including titles from Walter Salles, Abdellatif Kechiche, Xavier Dolan, Abbas Kiarostami and Gus Van Sant.

Michael Benaroya, known for high-end indie fare, has numerous upcoming projects including the highly-anticipated QUEEN OF THE DESERT directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson and Damien Lewis, and YOU SHALL KNOW YOUR OWN VELOCITY starring Daniel Radcliffe, based on the Dave Eggers’ best-selling book, to be directed by Peter Sollett. IFT has sold out all foreign territories on VELOCITY despite a 2015 start date.

Additional projects in various stages of production include CELL, the Stephen King adaptation which is in post-production and stars John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. The company also has CYMBELINE starring Ed Harris, Ethan Hawke and Mila Jovovich in post-production.

Benaroya’s film credits include KILL YOUR DARLINGS, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DaHaan, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, and Elizabeth Olsen, which was released domestically last year by Sony Pictures Classics. Other titles include the romantic mystery THE WORDS starring Bradley Cooper, and LAWLESS, starring Shia LaBeouf. The company’s financial thriller MARGIN CALL was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Best First Feature Award at the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards.

About International Film Trust
International Film Trust (IFT) is an international sales and distribution company operated by producers for producers. With over 20 years of experience in producing, finance, international sales and distribution, IFT has the knowledge and relationships to cultivate strategic partnerships with A-list producers and filmmakers. Transparent by their design in their business practices IFT is a company that understands and honors the four pillars that sustain the global film marketplace: Creativity, Finance, Sales and Distribution.

IFT’s slate includes the horror thriller EXISTS, which will be released in the U.S. by Lionsgate and was acquired from producers Robin Cowie (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT), Jane Fleming (THE FROZEN GROUND), Mark Ordesky (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Andy Jenkins, and executive produced by Reed Frerichs, Gregg Hale, George Waud and D. Todd Shepherd; the upcoming CYMBELINE starring Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Milla Jovovich and Dakota Johnson; YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD written by acclaimed novelist Emma Forrest and adapted from her NY Times Bestseller; comedy THE KING OF THE KASTLE starring Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver and Asa Butterfield and produced by Jonathan Gordon (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK) and Michael Benaroya; and Tod Williams’ (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2) directed action thriller CELL starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, which is currently in post-production.

Press Release: Fandor & Reinventors Team Up for “Reinvent Hollywood”

FANDOR & REINVENTORS JOIN UP FOR SERIES “REINVENT HOLLYWOOD”

The Six-Part Series Seeks to Address the Future of Film

Hosted by Ted Hope, Fandor CEO

Episode 1 To Launch on May 28th, 2014, 11AM PT

If you could redesign the film industry into the best possible system for the artists, the audience, and the business, what would it look like?

SAN FRANCISCO – (MAY 27, 2014): On May 28th, Ted Hope, CEO of Fandor, along with Reinventors, and a group of industry luminaries, will answer that very question in the six-part interactive web series “Reinvent Hollywood.”

With the advent of low-cost digital production and post-production technology, the tools to create and distribute both short and long-form filmed entertainment have never been more accessible, and yet the Hollywood power structure continues to rely on an antiquated methodology of finding and presenting this entertainment to the world.

But what does this mean for the status quo in the film industry? How can those interested parties, the artists and the audiences, work with the distributors and the rest of the existing power structure to affect these changes and create a bigger tent, helping the industry as a whole move forward? That’s what Reinvent Hollywood will answer.

“Art, regardless of the medium, has always been advanced by the audience, creators, and technology – far more than business or the market can,” said Hope. “Fandor’s mission is to help build the world’s film community through the advancement and preservation of film art and culture. When good movies go unseen, talented filmmakers cannot support themselves and our government is not defending Net Neutrality, it is time to demand change.”

Hope and a team of industry experts will discuss the state of the film industry throughout this six-part series streamed live on Reinventors.net. A recording of each episode will be available the following day on Fandor.com. Each 90-minute session is edited into a recap and a short trailer, and write-ups of what was accomplished will be available on the series’ landing page after each roundtable.

The series is divided into six episodes, with each part focused on a topic that addresses the larger issue at hand – the future of film. The topics for each of the six episodes are: The Form, The Artists, The Audience, The Business, The Festivals, Schools, and Non-Profits, and The Rules of the Game.

The first topic to be discussed in-depth and to kick off the series is “The Form,” which is focused on what will follow as feature film loses its dominant position with transitions from theatrical to online play, long to short form, celluloid to digital. Anchoring this conversation will be Webby Awards founder and The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences co-founder,Tiffany Shlain.

Hosted by award-winning independent producer and film industry advocate, Ted Hope, the lineup of experts participating in the first roundtable on The Form is:
Liz Rosenthal, Founder & CEO of Power to the Pixel
Karim Ahmad, Senior Digital Content Strategist at ITVS
Lance Weiler, Writer, Director, Experience Designer
Michel Reilhac, Story architect, experience designer
Peter Leyden, Founder of Reinventors

Fandor and Reinventors are also asking you to do your part as the audience. For each episode, Hope will be joined not only by a team of experts in the field, but also by you, the general public. You can join the conversation for each episode via Google Hangout, along with Hope and his ever-growing list of industry experts as we all collectively move Hollywood forward. The episodes will also be available indefinitely online for those that miss it live.

The upcoming episode on The Form can be viewed here: http://reinventors.net/roundtables/the-form and at this Google+ page.

A full calendar of the series’ live events can be found here: http://reinventors.net/series/reinvent-hollywood

For an advance taste of what will be covered in this series, check out Ted Hope’s recent blog post on the possible futures of independent film.

About Fandor:
Fandor is where the film community comes together, where filmmakers and enthusiasts are advancing film culture, and where audiences are connecting with films across genres and decades. Fandor offers a broad library of independent and international cinema specially curated to make discovering new and classic favorites easy and accessible. Fandor’s member-based service allows audiences to watch unlimited movies wherever they are: on TVs, computers and mobile devices. Fandor showcases and supports the world’s best filmmakers and returns half its revenue to them.

About Reinventors Network:
Reinventors gathers top innovators in virtual roundtables to work on how to fundamentally reinvent 20th century systems to work in the new realities of the 21st century. We use the ground-breaking new medium of interactive group video to connect up experts and entrepreneurs from around the country and the world for in-depth public conversations about how to solve the many challenges of our time. Reinventors, in short, uses group video to accelerate innovation and scale up efforts to actually solve complex problems.

Press Release: Anne Garefino to Receive Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal

ANNE GAREFINO TO RECEIVE 24TH ANNUAL FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER ALUMNI MEDAL

Joins Previous AFI Conservatory Alumni Including Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch and Patty Jenkins

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 28, 2014, Los Angeles, CA – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that producer Anne Garefino (AFI Class of 1988) will receive the 2014 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. The presentation will take place as part of the AFI Life Achievement Award tribute event honoring Jane Fonda at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on June 5, 2014.

The Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of a graduate of the AFI Conservatory or AFI Directing Workshop for Women who symbolizes the legacy of Franklin Schaffner. The AFI Conservatory – named one of the top film schools in the world – is renowned for its collaborative approach to hands-on filmmaking and its advanced training of the next generation of storytellers in six filmmaking disciplines: Producing, Directing, Screenwriting, Cinematography, Editing and Production Design.

Garefino joins 23 AFI alumni who have been awarded this honor, including Darren Aronofsky (BLACK SWAN, NOAH), Stuart Cornfeld (THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, TROPIC THUNDER), Amy Heckerling (FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH), Patty Jenkins (MONSTER), Janusz Kamiński (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SCHINDLER’S LIST), David Lynch (BLUE VELVET), Terrence Malick (BADLANDS, TREE OF LIFE) and Edward Zwick (GLORY).

Garefino has been the executive producer of the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning animated television series SOUTH PARK since 2007. She has produced two critically acclaimed films with Trey Parker and Matt Stone: SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT (1999), which earned an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Song, and TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE (2004). The Tony®, Grammy® and Olivier® Award-winning production of “The Book of Mormon” marked Garefino’s Broadway debut.

The Lambertville, New Jersey, native received a degree in Finance from Boston College and was a Producing Fellow at AFI. Before moving to Los Angeles, she lived in Washington, DC, and worked for public television station WETA-TV, where she co-produced the IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE series. Garefino began her career in entertainment at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre on Capitol Hill.

Sponsors of the 2014 AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Jane Fonda include American Airlines, the official airline of the American Film Institute, Audi of America, AT&T, Citibank, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Stella Artois and Wells Fargo.

About Franklin J. Schaffner and the Schaffner Alumni Medal
Over the course of a remarkable 40-year career, Franklin J. Schaffner earned a total of 28 Academy Award® nominations and the directing Oscar® for PATTON in 1970. Schaffner’s association with AFI began in 1975, with his election to the AFI Board of Trustees, and lasted until his death in 1989.

The Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal recognized the extraordinary creative talents of a graduate of the AFI Conservatory or of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women who symbolize the legacy of Franklin Schaffner. The distinguished recipients of the Schaffner Alumni Medal are: David Lynch (1991), Edward Zwick (1992), Randa Haines (1993), Martin Brest (1994), Jon Avnet (1995), Carl Franklin (1996), John McTiernan (1997), Amy Heckerling (1998), Mimi Leder (1999), Terrence Malick (2000), Darren Aronofsky (2001), Todd Field (2002), John Dahl (2003), Patty Jenkins (2004), Paul Schrader (2005), Marshall Herskovitz (2006), Gary Winick (2007), Mark Waters (2008), Steve Golin (2009), Janusz Kamiński (2010), Steven Rosenblum (2011), Wally Pfister (2012) and Stuart Cornfeld (2013).

About the American Film Institute
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. AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award – the highest honor for a career in film – now in its 42nd year; AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year; AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI FEST presented by Audi, AFI DOCS and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world renowned AFI Conservatory, recognized for its master filmmakers and speakers and its notable alumni.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. Audi AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. The Audi Group delivered 1,575,500 vehicles to customers globally in 2013, and broke all-time company sales records for the 4th straight year in the U.S. Through 2018, Audi AG will invest about $30 billion on new products, facilities and technologies.

Press Release: “Burning Bush” Debuts June 11

BURNING BUSH, DIRECTED BY AGNIESZKA HOLLAND, TO MAKE ITS U.S. THEATRICAL DEBUT ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11

Film To Debut Theatrically at Film Forum in New York City

New York, NY (May 28, 2014) – Kino Lorber is proud to announce the US theatrical release of BURNING BUSH, an ambitious cinematic recreation of widespread protests in Czechoslovakia (and their aftermath) against the country’s Soviet military occupation in the late 60s. The film will make its commercial theatrical debut at New York’s Film Forum on Wednesday, June 11, before expanding to other theatrical markets throughout the summer.

Directed by acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland (Europa, Europa), who was a student at the FAMU film school in Prague during this tumultuous period, this original HBO Europe production had its New York premiere at the 2013 edition of the New York Film Festival, after also screening at last year’s Telluride and Toronto film festivals.

With a focus on a young man’s ultimate sacrifice (history student Jan Palach committed suicide by self-immolation, as a form of political protest) and on the state’s attempt to defame him, BURNING BUSH offers a stirring and multi-faceted picture of a pivotal moment in Eastern European history – and the events which set the stage for the defeat of Communism 20 years later.

Through the story of defense attorney Dagmar Burešová, who defended Palach’s legacy in a doomed lawsuit, the film examines the transformations taking place in Czechoslovak society after the invasion of the armies of the Warsaw Pact in August of 1968 and the installation of a hardline Communist government.

Moreover, BURNING BUSH depicts the beginnings of Czech and Slovak resistance against the occupation, which reached its apex with the mass protests during Palach’s funeral – also showing the nation’s gradual resignation under the pressure of fear and harsher persecution.

Long acclaimed for her politically engaged work as a director and screenwriter, Agnieszka Holland emerged from the Polish New Wave of the 1970s and ’80s after working on scripts with fellow Polish director Andrzej Wajda. Her films have been nominated for three Academy Awards: EUROPA, EUROPA (1990) was nominated for Best Screenplay (and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film), and ANGRY HARVEST (1985) and IN DARKNESS (2011) were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

She has directed episodes of the acclaimed television series The Killing, Treme, and The Wire, making her a natural choice for the Czech production and writing team for their HBO Europe production of Burning Bush. She recently completed the NBC miniseries, Rosemary’s Baby.

BURNING BUSH will have a 2-week run at New York’s Film Forum from June 11 to June 24, with screenings of Part 1 at 12:45 and 6:45 and Part 2 at 4:00 and 10:00.

Directed by Agnieszka Holland
Produced by Tomáš Kruby Hrubý and Pavla Kubečková.
Writer: Štěpán Hulík
Cinematographer: Martin Štrba
Editor: Pavel Hrdlička.
Music: Antoni Komasa-Lazarkiewicz

Cast: Tatiana Pauhofová (Dagmar Burešová), Jaroslava Pokorná (Palach’s mother), Ivan Trojan (police detective Jireš), Petr Stach (Palach’s brother).

BURNING BUSH
Part 1: 160 mins.
Part 2: 80 mins.
Czech Republic.
In Czech w/English subtitles
Released by Kino Lorber

ABOUT KINO LORBER:
With a library of 800 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 30 years, releasing over 25 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, and Alive Mind Cinema banners, including four Academy Award® nominated films in the last six years. In addition, the company brings over 70 titles each year to the home entertainment market with DVD and Blu-ray releases under its 5 house brands, distributes a growing number of third party labels, and is a direct digital distributor to all major platforms including iTunes, Netflix, HULU, Amazon, Vimeo and others.

Press Release: Cinema Conservancy Acquires “Stations of the Elevated”

APD’s CINEMA CONSERVANCY ACQUIRES LONG LOST NEW YORK FILM STATIONS OF THE ELEVATED

New restoration of Manfred Kirchheimer’s legendary NYC film to Premiere at BAMCinemaFest June 27, 2014

May 15th, 2014 (New York, NY) – Artist Public Domain’s Cinema Conservancy, a New York-based non-profit production and distribution company is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of Stations of the Elevated (1981), a 45-minute independent documentary directed, produced and edited by Manfred Kirchheimer, in a new restoration. Shot over the course of 1977 on lush 16mm color reversal stock, the film weaves together vivid images of elevated subway trains crisscrossing New York City’s gritty urban landscape. With a complex soundtrack that combines the ambient sounds of the city with the music of Charles Mingus and Aretha Franklin, the film is an impressionistic portrait of and tribute to a New York that has long since disappeared.

On Friday, June 27 BAMcinemaFest will present the world premiere of APD/Cinema Conservancy’s new restoration of Stations of the Elevated on the Steinberg Screen at the BAM Harvey Theater. The event begins with a live performance by legendary jazz ensemble the Mingus Dynasty, the original Charles Mingus legacy band. The first band Sue Mingus organized after Charles’ death in 1979, this acclaimed orchestra continues to interpret Charles Mingus’ more than 300 compositions, and will perform as a prelude to Kirchheimer’s jazz-inflected documentary. Tickets go on sale May 14, 2014 here: http://www.bam.org/film/2014/bamcinemafest2014.

The newly restored version of the film will be released in theaters this fall accompanied by other works by Manfred Kirchheimer. The restoration process includes both re-mastered image and sound.

Director of Cinema Converancy Jake Perlin stated, “I was hypnotized by Stations from the first time I saw the video cassette, just like the twenty plus times I have seen it since. When thinking of dream projects for Cinema Conservancy, it was at the top of the list. Working with Manny to be able to bring the film back to audiences in this beautiful version and have it premiere on the enormous screen in the Harvey, is thrilling!”

Film director Manfred Kirchheimer stated, “In 1977 when Stations of the Elevated was filmed, illegal graffiti on New York’s subway trains was considered the scourge of the city. Mayors and passengers called it vandalism; attack dogs were let loose to scare and apprehend the perpetrators–kids with names and messages they wanted to ‘get up.’ Today, museums, advertisers and celebrities court the graffiti writers and display their work. With the careful HD restoration of the film, it lives again in all its blazing glory”.

The first-ever documentations of graffiti on film, Stations of the Elevated captures the height of the 1970s graffiti movement in New York, featuring the work of early legends including Lee, Fab 5 Freddy, Shadow, Daze, Kase, Butch, Blade, Slave, 12 T2B, Ree, and Pusher. In a period when the graffiti covering New York’s subway system was largely dismissed as vandalism, with mayor Ed Koch threatening “if I had my way I wouldn’t use dogs, but wolves [to keep writers out of the train yards],” Kirchheimer explored graffiti as a form of self-expression and a reaction to New York’s social and economic conditions, an artistic counterpoint to the “legalized vandalism” dominating the city’s visual landscape in the form of corporate advertising. Juxtaposing the colorful imagery of ‘tagged’ cars with shots of carefully hand-painted billboards depicting hamburgers and bikini-clad women, Stations of the Elevated forces audiences to ask: “What is urban art, and what role does it play in the daily life of a city?”

The film premiered at the 1981 New York Film Festival, but lacking appropriate music licenses, Stations of the Elevated was never theatrically released in the United States. In the 30 years since its completion it has been rarely screened, developing a cult amongst cinephiles and jazz- and graffiti-lovers. After two years of working to secure appropriate licenses for its soundtrack, APD’s Cinema Conservancy program will finally make this crucial cultural document and cinematic experience available to the public in 2014 with a theatrical run.

Filmmaker Manfred Kirchheimer (b. 1931) immigrated to New York with his family as a child, escaping Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights. After studying at Hans Richter’s Institute of Film Techniques at the City College of New York, he spent many years working in the film industry while self-financing his own independent films. A long-time professor at the School of Visual Arts, Kirchheimer has documented New York with an observant, sympathetic eye for decades, in films including We Were So Beloved (1986), Claw (1968), Short Circuit (1973), Bridge High (1975) and Colossus on the River (1963). His more recent films include SprayMasters (2008), Art is…the Permanent Revolution (2012) and the soon-to-be-released Canners(2014).

Now, 33 years after it’s initial release and coming back home, Stations of the Elevated’s new transfer can be seen with a fresh pair of eyes having its world premiere at BAMcinemaFest, Friday, June 27th at 8:00pm at the BAM Harvey Theater.

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

Cinema Conservancy is the releasing program of Artists Public Domain, a New York-based non-profit production and distribution company. Cinema Conservancy helps to ensure the legacy and public availability of crucial works of American Independent cinema. Previous Cinema Conservancy releases include Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer, the John Hubley Centennial, Nothing But a Man, Little Fugitive, Northern Lights and The Color Wheel. APD’s recent productions include Towheads, Another Earth, and The Forgiveness of Blood.

Press Release: “The Duff” Cast Announced

CBS FILMS ANNOUNCES THE CAST OF ‘THE DUFF’ (#TheDUFF)

LOS ANGELES – May 28, 2014 – CBS Films (@CBSFilms) announced today that Mae Whitman (@maebirdwing), Robbie Amell (@RobbieAmell), Bella Thorne (@bellathorne), Bianca Santos (@Bianca00Alexa), Skyler Samuels (@SkylerSamuels), Nick Eversman (@NickEversman) and Ken Jeong (@kenjeong) will lead the cast of THE DUFF. Based on the acclaimed novel by Kody Keplinger (@Kody_Keplinger) THE DUFF was adapted for the screen by Josh Cagan (@joshacagan) and will be directed by Ari Sandel. McG (@McGsWonderland), Mary Viola (@ItsMaryViola), Susan Cartsonis (@SusanCartsonis) are producing with Lane Bishop (@LaneShefterBish) serving as executive producer on the comedy which will shoot in Atlanta (@gdecd) this summer.

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as ‘The DUFF’ (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends (Skyler Samuels & Bianca Santos). Now, despite the words of caution from her favorite teacher (Ken Jeong), she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby (Nick Eversman), and enlists Wesley (Robbie Amell), a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker Madison (Bella Thorne) and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s DUFF.

Vice President of Production Mark Ross and Creative Executive Alex Ginno are overseeing the project for CBS Films.

About CBS FILMS
CBS Films is a division of CBS Corporation. The division develops, finances, acquires, produces and releases theatrical feature films spanning all genres.

Press Release: Lionsgate Takes U.S. & Canadian Rights to “Operation Avalanche”

LIONSGATE FILMS TAKES US AND CANADIAN RIGHTS TO ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER MATT JOHNSON’S ‘OPERATION AVALANCHE’

XYZ FILMS CLOSES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS DEAL WITH INTERNATIONAL TERRITORIES SOON TO BE ANNOUNCED

Los Angeles, CA (May 27, 2014) – XYZ Films and Lionsgate Films have announced today that Lionsgate has acquired all U.S. and Canadian rights to the new thriller OPERATION AVALANCHE from acclaimed filmmaker Matt Johnson. Johnson’s first film THE DIRTIES, which he directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in, won the Grand Prize at Slamdance in 2013. The multi-hyphenate is reteaming with his DIRTIES co-writer Josh Boles, co-star Owen Williams, producer Matthew Miller, and has brought on Toronto-based producer Lee Kim (THE CONSPIRACY, I’LL FOLLOW YOU DOWN). Nick Spicer will executive produce for XYZ Films, with Michael Paseornek, John Sacchi, and Jessica Switch overseeing for Lionsgate. Production is set to begin June 30th in Toronto, Houston, and Washington D.C.

While specific details of the plot cannot yet be revealed, the film investigates the truth behind the CIA’s involvement in the space race.

“The CIA, the 1960’s and the space program have always been obsessions of mine. Working with partners like Lionsgate, who understand the scope and vision of what we are creating, has been a pleasure. This movie is going to leave audiences with a powerful and imaginative interpretation of what may or may not have happened within the walls of the US’s top government agencies,” said Johnson.

The deal for the North American rights was negotiated by Johnson’s agents Mark Ankner and Rich Cook (WME) and attorney Chris Spicer (Akin Gump), alongside XYZ’s Nate Bolotin.

XYZ Films sold Johnson’s debut THE DIRTIES to Phase 4 for a domestic partnership with Kevin Smith following Slamdance 2013. Johnson was recently tapped by Warner Bros. to adapt ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN. He is represented by Management 360, WME and AkinGump.

XYZ is currently handling sales for Kevin Smith’s upcoming horror film ANTI-CLAUS, and Smith’s highly-anticipated horror-thriller TUSK, which is currently in post-production and will be released by A24 later this year. XYZ Films produced and is handling world sales on the recently released THE RAID 2, from writer/director Gareth Huw Evans, as well as KILLERS, which is co-directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel (The Mo Brothers). They are also handling international sales on the Sundance competition film LIFE AFTER BETH, starring Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, Anna Kendrick, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Matthew Gray Gubler, Cheryl Hines and Paul Reiser, and the Maori actioner THE DEAD LANDS, from director Toa Fraser.

About XYZ Films:
XYZ FILMS is an LA-based film production and sales company founded in 2008 by Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertzakian, with partner Todd Brown joining the company in 2009.

Press Release: “Burning Bush” To Debut June 11

“BURNING BUSH” TO MAKE ITS U.S. THEATRICAL & STREAMING DEBUT ON JUNE 11TH

Film To Debut Theatrically at Film Forum in New York City

Concurrently Making Its Streaming Debut on Fandor

(San Francisco, CA | May 30, 2014) Fandor is proud to announce the U.S. streaming debut of BURNING BUSH to take place day-and-date with the film’s theatrical debut on Wednesday, June 11th, 2014. BURNING BUSH is an ambitious cinematic recreation of widespread student protests (and their aftermath) against Soviet military occupation in the late 60s in Czechoslovakia. The film will play theatrically at Film Forum (New York City) with streaming available on Fandor throughout the U.S., excepting the NY metropolitan area.

“Connecting the world’s greatest filmmakers and their art with the audiences that crave to see them is Fandor’s mission,” said Fandor CEO, Ted Hope. “We are thrilled to bring this film to a wide, national audience.”

With a focus on a young man’s ultimate sacrifice (history student Jan Palach committed suicide by self-immolation, as a form of political protest) and on the state’s attempt to defame him, BURNING BUSH offers a stirring and multi-faceted picture of a pivotal moment in Eastern European history; these events ultimately set the stage for the defeat of Communism 20 years later.

Through the story of the brave defense attorney Dagmar Burešová, who defended Palach’s legacy in a doomed lawsuit, the film examines the transformations taking place in Czechoslovak society after the invasion of the armies of the Warsaw Pact in August of 1968 – and the installation of a hardline Communist government. It depicts the beginnings of Czech and Slovak resistance against the occupation, which reached its apex with the mass protests during Palach’s funeral – also showing the nation’s gradual resignation under the pressure of fear and harsher persecution.

Directed by acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA, EUROPA), who was a student at the FAMU film school in Prague during this tumultuous period. BURNING BUSH initially broadcast on television in the Czech Republic and later screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Telluride Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival where it was received to both audience and critical acclaim.

“Agnieszka Holland is an extraordinarily gifted and versatile filmmaker,” stated Jonathan Marlow, Fandor’s Chief Content Officer. “Though the events depicted in BURNING BUSH occurred forty-five years ago, the issues it explores are entirely relevant today.”

Long commended for her politically engaged work as a director and screenwriter, Agnieszka Holland emerged from the Polish New Wave of the 1970s and ’80s after working on scripts with fellow Polish director Andrzej Wajda. Her films have been nominated for three Academy Awards: EUROPA, EUROPA (1990) was nominated for Best Screenplay (and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film), and ANGRY HARVEST (1985) and IN DARKNESS (2011) were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. She has directed episodes of the acclaimed television series THE KILLING, TREME, and THE WIRE, making her a natural choice for the Czech production and writing team for their HBO Europe production of BURNING BUSH. She recently completed the NBC miniseries, ROSEMARY’S BABY.

BURNING BUSH will become available on Wednesday, June 11th. For information about Fandor please visit www.Fandor.com.

The deal for the film was negotiated between Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber and Fandor’s CCO Jonathan Marlow and CEO Ted Hope.