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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: “London: The Modern Babylon” Opens in New York City on June 4

Docurama Premieres Julien Templeโ€™s Rousing Documentary โ€œLondon: The Modern Babylonโ€ at Cinema Village in New York City on June 4

Temple (Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten) time-travels through London from the start of the 20th century to the 2012 Olympics, threading past and present voices with film archives and popular music across the century.

Every screening begins with Nelson Georgeโ€™s 3-minute short film ALL HAIL THE BEAT GE FOCUS FORWARD and is followed by a pre-taped Q&A with Temple

NEW YORK โ€“ LONDON: THE MODERN BABYLON is legendary filmmaker and music-video director Julien Templeโ€™s (Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten) epic time-traveling voyage to the heart of his hometown. From musicians, writers and artists to dangerous thinkers, political radicals and, above all, ordinary people, is the story of Londonโ€™s immigrants, its bohemians and how together they changed the city forever.

Reaching back to the dawn of film in London at the start of the 20th century, the story unfolds through film archives and voices of Londoners past and present, powered by the flow of popular music across the centuryโ€”a stream of urban consciousness, like the river which flows through its heart. It ends in present day, as London prepares to welcome the world to the 2012 Olympics.

LONDON: THE MODERN BABYLON will screen at Cinema Village in New York City on the following dates:

โ€ข Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 9:10 PM
โ€ข Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 9:10 PM
โ€ข Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 9:10 PM

Ticket prices: $11 adults, $5.50 children, $6 seniors, $8 students.

The theatrical release of LONDON: THE MODERN BABYLON in 15 U.S. markets during the week of June 3 is the final film in Cinedigmโ€™s (NASDAQ: CIDM) new DOCURAMA multi-platform film brand and inaugural series of national theatrical screening events (http://www.docuramafest.com). The DOCURAMA film series has attracted national attention for its unique series that has brought 7 award-winning documentary films in 7 weeks into theaters nationwide, from April 22 through June 16.

Time Out London says itโ€™s: “An astonishing filmโ€ฆa rousing, powerful portrait of a city.โ€ The film had its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Later it was nominated for Best Documentary at both the British Independent Film Awards and the European Film Awards.

In partnership with GE FOCUS FORWARD-Short Films, Big Ideas, a curatorial program inspired by GEโ€™s vision of innovative people being the catalyst for world change, DOCURAMA will present a 3-minute short documentary with each feature film that has a complementary theme or subject matter.

ALL HAIL THE BEAT, from author, historian and filmmaker Nelson George, will be shown before every screening of LONDON. The sounds of the Roland TR-808 drum machine inspire musicians around the world, even though the device hasnโ€™t been made since 1984 and most of its avid users have never actually seen one.

Every screening of LONDON will be followed by a pre-taped Q&A with the director.

Press Release: New Multi-Platform Home Distribution Label Founded by GKids and Cinedigm

GKIDS AND CINEDIGM ANNOUNCE NEW MULTI-PLATFORM HOME DISTRIBUTION LABEL FOR SELECT GKIDS ANIMATED FILMS

LABEL LAUNCHES WITH STUDIO GHIBLIโ€™S โ€œFROM UP ON POPPY HILLโ€ SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2013 ON DVD, BLU-RAY AND CABLE VOD

ELEVEN ANIMATED FEATURES INCLUDED IN PACT

New York, NY, May 30, 2013 โ€“ GKIDS, a distributor of award-winning animation for adult and family audiences, has teamed with Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) to launch a new multi-platform animation label. GKIDS will continue to distribute the films theatrically and Cinedigm will handle ancillary distribution under the GKIDS brand.

FROM UP ON POPPY HILL is the first of seven new GKIDS titles included under the pact, which brings critically acclaimed feature animation to North American audiences. The agreement builds upon the existing partnership between GKIDS and Cinedigm, which currently handles home-video on GKIDSโ€™ three Oscar-nominated films, The Secret of Kells, Chico & Rita and A Cat in Paris, as well as Michel Ocelotโ€™s Tales of the Night, for a total of eleven titles now included within the new label.

โ€œThere’s an explosion of world-class animation coming from all corners of the globe and these films cross borders seamlessly. GKIDS has an incredible sense for what works and how to introduce these films to welcoming audiences,โ€ said Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cinedigm. โ€œWe are excited to extend our already successful relationship with Eric, Dave and the team and bring their content to an even broader audience.โ€

โ€œWe are looking forward to teaming up with Cinedigm to build the US market for international animation,โ€ said GKIDS President, Eric Beckman. โ€œAs anyone who has discovered the films of Studio Ghibli will attest, some of the most exciting animated filmmaking is taking place outside the US. We are thrilled to be able to share these wonderful movies with a growing American audience for animation in all its forms.โ€

FROM UP ON POPPY HILL will be released to DVD/Blu-ray and cable VOD on September 3, 2013 following the current theatrical release by GKIDS. The film was written and supervised by legendary studio founder and Academy Awardยฎ-winner Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) and directed by his son Goro Miyazaki.

The stunning, hand-drawn FROM UP ON POPPY HILL is set in Yokohama in 1963, as Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the Olympics. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun โ€“ but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart. Multiple Academy Awardยฎ-winner Gary Rydstrom directed the English language version with voice cast including Gillian Anderson, Sarah Bolger, Beau Bridges, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Fuhrman, Christina Hendricks, Ron Howard, Chris Noth, Emily Osment, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Saxton, Alex Wolff and Anton Yelchin. Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy executive produced.

The Blu-ray and DVD release of FROM UP ON POPPY HILL contains over three hours of bonus materials and includes: original Japanese language and English language versions with subtitles and dubtitles; feature-length storyboards; celebrity cast recording featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews; an interview with Goro Miyazaki; original Japanese trailer and TV spots; the music video for the theme song by Aoi Teshima; and a featurette about Yokohama, exploring the history of the sea-side setting where the film takes place. Bonuses exclusive to the Blu-ray edition include a staff speech and press conference by Hayao Miyazaki days after the Fukushima earthquake; and a 20-page booklet containing the original project proposal by Hayao Miyazaki and a letter from Goro Miyazaki.

Other new titles included in the GKIDS/Cinedigm agreement are Jean Francoise Laguionieโ€™s THE PAINTING; Joann Sfarโ€™s THE RABBIโ€™S CAT; A LETTER TO MOMO from Japanโ€™s Production I.G; Ignacio Ferreraโ€™s award-winning graphic novel adaptation, WRINKLES; the break-out French hit ZARAFA; and the animated documentary APPROVED FOR ADOPTION based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Jung Henin.

About GKIDS
GKIDS is a distributor of award-winning filmed entertainment specializing in animation for both adult and family audiences. The company has scored three Best Animated Feature Oscarยฎ nominations, with โ€œThe Secret of Kellsโ€ in 2010 and both โ€œA Cat in Parisโ€ and โ€œChico & Ritaโ€ in 2012 โ€“ marking the first time an independent distributor has had two simultaneous nominations in the category. GKIDS also handles North American theatrical distribution for Oscarยฎ-winner Hayao Miyazaki’s famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the worldโ€™s most coveted animation collections with titles โ€œSpirited Away,โ€ โ€œMy Neighbor Totoro,โ€ โ€œPrincess Mononokeโ€ and others. GKIDS is longtime producer of the New York Intโ€™l Childrenโ€™s Film Festival, an Oscarยฎ-qualifying event and North Americaโ€™s largest festival of film for children and teens. www.gkids.com/films

About Cinedigm
Over the past decade, Cinedigm has led the digital distribution revolution that continues to transform the media landscape. In addition to its pioneering role in transitioning movie theatres from traditional film prints to digital distribution, Cinedigm continues to advance worldwide cinema modernization with its suite of software products allowing exhibitors and distributors to manage their newly digital businesses with efficiency, insight and certainty. And, as the leading distributor of independent content in the world, Cinedigm collaborates with producers and the exhibition community with unequalled transparency to market, source, curate and distribute quality content across all digital platforms to targeted and profitable audiences. The companyโ€™s library of over 5,000 titles includes award-winning documentaries from Docurama Filmsยฎ, next-gen indies from Flatiron Film Companyยฎ and acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Film. Cinedigm is proud to distribute many Oscarยฎ-nominated films including โ€œThe Invisible War,โ€ โ€œHell and Back Again,โ€ โ€œGasLand,โ€ โ€œWaste Landโ€ and โ€œParadise Lost 3: Purgatory.โ€

Press Release: “Jug Face” To Open August 9

Moderncinรฉโ€™s Horror-Thriller JUG FACE rolls out nationally on August 9th in theaters via Modern Distributors

Slamdance title will have a Pre-Theatrical VOD release on July 8th, followed by a VOD release day and date with theaters on August 9th

Los Ageles, CA (May 30, 2013) โ€“ Moderncinรฉ announced today that JUG FACE, the tense horror-thriller written and directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle, will have a national theatrical roll out on August 9th through its domestic distribution arm Modern Distributors. The film was produced by Andrew van den Houten (โ€œFuneral Kings,โ€ โ€˜โ€™The Womanโ€) and Robert Tonino (โ€˜โ€™Home Movie,โ€ โ€œGhoulโ€) for Moderncinรฉ, and stars Lauren Ashley Carter (โ€œThe Womanโ€), Sean Bridgers (โ€œDeadwoodโ€), Sean Young (โ€œBlade Runnerโ€), Larry Fessenden (โ€œI Sell the Deadโ€) and Daniel Manche (โ€œThe Girl Next Doorโ€). JUG FACE was executive produced by Lucky McKee, Arrien Schiltkamp and Loren Semmens. The film will have a pre-theatrical VOD roll out in the U.S. on July 8th, and is slated for a VOD release, day and date with theatrical, on August 9th.

JUG FACE tells the story of a pregnant teen trying to escape a backwoods community when she discovers that she may be sacrificed to a mysterious pit. The entity in the pit requires a life for keeping the community safe. The face of the person to be sacrificed is crafted onto a ceramic jug. When ignored, the entity unleashes an evil onto the community. Now no one is safe as tragedy befalls each member one by one and they soon realize that the pit wants what it wants.

โ€œChad Crawford Kinkle’s uniquely original southern gothic tale is filled with amazing performances and beautiful cinematography. We believed in the project from the beginning and are pleased to be supporting its domestic release through Modern Distributors, our new-founded distribution and film sales arm. Jug Face is exactly the kind of director driven filmmaking we will continue to get behind,โ€ said van den Houten.

JUG FACE won the Slamdance Grand Prize Screenwriting Award in 2011 and debuted as a Special Screening selection at this yearโ€™s festival.

About Moderncinรฉ
Moderncinรฉ is dedicated to making high-quality films by telling stories that are edgy and groundbreaking. Moderncinรฉ has been behind the development, financing and production of over a dozen feature length motion pictures. Among them are the recent released โ€œFuneral Kings,โ€ the cult classic โ€œJack Ketchumโ€™s The Girl Next Door,โ€ โ€œOffspring,โ€ โ€œThe Woman,โ€ โ€œHome Movie,โ€ and the Chiller Network presentation, โ€œGhoul.โ€ Moderncinรฉ has gained a solid reputation as a company that is willing to tackle the most controversial subjects and as a result attracted the talents of cutting edge filmmakers Lucky McKee, the McManus Brothers, Patrick Wang and Gregory M. Wilson. The company’s films have been recognized worldwide by The Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, The Deauville Film Festival, Brussels International Fantastic Film Fest, Sitges, Fantastic Fest, FrightFest, Busan International Film Festival, New York City Horror Film Festival and many others.

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