By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com

RECREATION AND INCENTIVE CAPITAL ACQUIRE INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS TO SPIKE LEE’S ‘RED HOOK SUMMER’

Posted Monday, May 7th, 2012 - Comments Off on RECREATION AND INCENTIVE CAPITAL ACQUIRE INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS TO SPIKE LEE’S ‘RED HOOK SUMMER’
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Los Angeles, CA (May 7, 2012) – Los Angeles-based sales company, Recreation and Salt Lake City-based media fund, Incentive Capital, have jointly acquired international rights to two-time Oscar nominee Spike Lee’s highly anticipated RED HOOK SUMMER, it was announced today by Recreation founder and president, Ariel Veneziano and Incentive’s Joe Pia.

The provocative feature film is directed by Lee who is featured in the film, reprising his role as “Mookie” from his classic hit DO THE RIGHT THING, and also co-wrote the script with James McBride (MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA).

Co-starring teen newcomers Jules Brown and Tony Lysaith, both Brooklyn locals, with Clarke Peters (HBO’s “The Wire”) and Nate Parker (RED TAILS), the buzzed-about film is produced by Lee’s production company, 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks and McBride.

“This is a powerful and relevant film from one of the most influential filmmakers of our time and reminds us of some of Spike’s iconic movies we all know and love.  We are proud to be looking after this great movie which fits right into our joint acquisitions strategy,” commented Veneziano and Pia.

RED HOOK SUMMER is the latest installment in Lee’s ongoing Chronicles of Brooklyn which includes his debut film SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, DO THE RIGHT THING, CROOKLYN, CLOCKERS and HE GOT GAME. It tells the story of a teenage boy (Brown) who is sent to New York to spend the summer with his grandfather (Peters), whom he’s never met before.

The deal was negotiated by Veneziano of Recreation and Pia of Incentive Capital with CAA and Artie Indursky and Robert Strent of Grubman Indursky Shire & Meiselas, PC on behalf of Lee and 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks.

The film will be screened privately for selected international distributors at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.

The joint acquisition is the result of the continuing partnership between Recreation and Incentive Capital as they step up to acquire and distribute top quality filmed entertainment worldwide.  This deal comes hot on the heels of their pact to collaborate on the international distribution of Incentive’s extensive library of over 850 titles featuring a wide range of films, documentaries and television series announced last month.

40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks is partnering with US distribution company Variance Films to theatrically release the film in the US beginning on August 10, 2012 in New York, with a national roll out to follow. RED HOOK SUMMER world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it was the subject of lively debate amongst audience and critics.

Lee is one of the industry’s most prominent and visionary filmmakers who is most well-known for directing such American classics as MALCOLM X starring Denzel Washington in an Oscar-nominated role, 25th HOUR starring Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Pepper and JUNGLE FEVER starring Lee, Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards, once for Best Original Screenplay for DO THE RIGHT THING (from his Chronicles of Brooklyn series which also includes SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, CROOKLYN, CLOCKERS and HE GOT GAME)followed by 4 LITTLE GIRLS for Best Documentary Feature.  His recent director credits include MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA starring Derek Luke, Michael Ealy and Laz Alonso released by Touchstone Pictures and Universal’s heist thriller hit INSIDE MAN starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster which was named one of the 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute and for which he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film. He will next direct OLDBOY starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, to be produced through his production company along with Mandate Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment.

Peters is currently starring on the Emmy-nominated HBO television series, “Treme,” opposite Khandi Alexander, Lucia Micarelli, Wendell Pierce and Melissa Leo which will return in the fall for its 3rd season. He is most well known for playing Detective Lester Freamon on HBO’s critically acclaimed hit show “The Wire” and has appeared on FX’s “Damages” and the HBO mini-series, “The Corner.” His film credits include John Krasinski’s BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, 20th Century Fox’s MARLEY & ME opposite Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston and Columbia Pictures’ FREEDOMLAND opposite Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson.

Parker is an emerging young actor who most recently appeared in 20th Century Fox’s RED TAILS opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard and Tristan Wilds. He was also seen in Fox Searchlight Pictures’ THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES opposite Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson and The Weinstein Company’s THE GREAT DEBATERS opposite Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker for which he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. He will next appear in Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions’ thriller ARBITRAGE opposite Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth which will be released in the fall.

About Recreation

Recreation is an independent media sales company and consulting firm, involved in the worldwide distribution of feature films and television programs. The company’s specialty is to help create value for its clients by uncovering revenue streams from all available sources, expanding their reach in the global marketplace.

Further details of the titles can be found on the companies’ websites at www.incentivecapitalfund.comand   www.recreation-media.com.

About Incentive Capital, LLC

Incentive Capital, LLC is a media fund that provides financing in film, television, and music, primarily in collateralized transactions involving production tax incentives, distribution advances, presales, mezzanine, and gap finance.  With the acquisition of the film library and other media assets, Incentive is expanding its media holdings and presence in finance, distribution, and production.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

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~ David Simon