By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

TRIBECA FILM ACQUIRES U.S. RIGHTS AT TIFF TO HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING DRUGS

Posted Thursday, September 13th, 2012 - 1 Comment »
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Theatrical and Multi-Platform Release Planned for 2013

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TORONTO – Sept. 13, 2012 – Tribeca Film has acquired U.S. rights to Bert Marcus Productions’ How to Make Money Selling Drugs, which had its world premiere on Friday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. The provocative documentary offers an in-depth look at the high-stakes world of drug dealing and drug enforcement by blending authentic reportage with pop culture references. Directed by Matthew Cooke, the film reunites producers Bert Marcus of Bert Marcus Productions and Adrian Grenier (HBO’s Entourage), the team that created the breakout hit Teenage Paparazzo.

 

Tribeca Film plans a 2013 theatrical release day and date with on-demand platforms, where it will be available in more than 40 million homes through a variety of video-on-demand offerings, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU and Xbox.

How To Make Money Selling Drugs offers a captivating glimpse into the lives of those on both sides of the “war on drugs,” delivering a diverse and unique perspective on the controversial subject through interviews with 50 Cent, The Wire producer David Simon, Arianna Huffington, Woody Harrelson, Eminem and Susan Sarandon, as well as infamous drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross. Presenting a shockingly candid examination of how a street dealer can rise to cartel lord with relative ease, the documentary reveals how public policy and government drug enforcement have struggled to creatively adapt to and effectively disincentive Americans from dealing drugs. Bert Marcus Productions was granted unprecedented access from top‐ranking government officials, from the U.S. Drug Czar to the Drug Enforcement Agency, all providing unique and honest viewpoints on this pervasive global topic.

 

“This is a work that resonates with truth, anger and insight by an extremely talented filmmaker,” said Geoff Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “From politics to the police and drug dealers to drug users, the scope of Matthew Cooke’s examination of these illicit networks is extraordinary.”

 

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Tribeca Film,” said Bert Marcus, Chief Executive Officer of Bert Marcus Productions.  “Given the history of Tribeca Film as an industry pioneer with an esteemed track record of connecting audiences to unique, thought-provoking work, we cannot think of a better home for our documentary that seeks to enlighten and entertain audiences about the complexities of the ‘war on drugs.’  We look forward to a productive and creative partnership and believe there is no better fit in terms of culture and vision for our movie to reach the public.”

 

“Seeing this film find a home with Tribeca after all this time is definitely a dream come true. And the timing couldn’t be better,” said Matthew Cooke. “Today America consumes a majority of the marijuana and 40% of the world’s cocaine while simultaneously incarcerating more of its citizens than any country in the history of the world. We hope to encourage a national conversation on one of the worst public policy failures of the last 50 years. And do so in a way that’s engaging, entertaining and inspiring.”

 

The deal was negotiated for Tribeca Film by Nick Savva, Director of Acquisitions, and by ICM Partners and Lawrence Kopeikin on behalf of the filmmakers.

 

About Tribeca Film

Tribeca Film is a comprehensive distribution label dedicated to acquiring and marketing independent films across multiple platforms, including video-on-demand, theatrical, digital, home video and television.  It is an initiative from Tribeca Enterprises designed to provide new platforms for how film can be experienced, while supporting filmmakers and introducing audiences to films they might not otherwise see. American Express continues its support of Tribeca and the independent film community by serving as the Founding Partner of Tribeca Film.

 

Current and upcoming Tribeca Film releases include critically acclaimed “Side by Side”; Takashi Miike’s “Hara-Kiri”; “The Comedy,” directed by Rick Alverson and starring Tim Heidecker; internet horror sensation sequel “Grave Encounters 2″; newly acquired at Toronto International Film Festival “The Fitzgerald Family Christmas,” directed by Edward Burns; “Struck By Lightning,” directed by Brian Dannelly and written/starring Chris Colfer; and the award winning “War Witch (Rebelle).”

 

About Bert Marcus Productions

Bert Marcus Productions is an independent film company founded in 2007 by chief executive officer, Bert Marcus, and is funded primarily through private equity firms, hedge funds, and biotech companies. The company’s mission is to create thought-provoking films created with innovative technology to share important stories through an entertaining lens to broad audiences.  Bert Marcus Productions has created the acclaimed documentaries Teenage Paparazzo, which aired in 2011 on HBO, and How to Make Money Selling Drugs, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, in collaboration with Adrian Grenier.  Future projects include Champs, featuring the directorial debut of Bert Marcus and produced by Mike Tyson, as well as Close, a docu-miniseries for television that is written and directed by Bert Marcus in partnership with Jeremy Piven.  The company is also currently developing a pipeline of feature films set to go into production in 2013.

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Posted in Movie City News, Press Releases | 1 Comment »

One Response to “TRIBECA FILM ACQUIRES U.S. RIGHTS AT TIFF TO HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING DRUGS”

  1. Matthew Udewitz says:
    April 26, 2013 at 11:38 am

    Way to go Bert Marcus Productions!

Quote Unquotesee all »

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

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon