By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

RADiUS / THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY KNOCKS IT OUT WITH ‘CONCUSSION’

BOUTIQUE LABEL MAKES SECOND BIG PURCHASE OF FEST AFTER ACQUIRING OPENING NIGHT FILM ’20 FEET FROM STARDOM’

Park City – January 21, 2013:  RADiUS – TWC proudly announced tonight that it has acquired North American rights to CONCUSSION, one of the most provocative and well received films at this year’s Festival that is drawing endless comparisons to BELLE DE JOUR.

Written and directed by Stacie Passon in an auspicious directing debut effort, and produced by Rose Troche, CONCUSSION is a poignant sexual examination of Abby (Robin Weigert in a star making breakout turn), a forty something married wealthy, lesbian housewife who, after suffering a blow to the head from getting smacked by her son’s baseball—walks around every corner of her suburban life to confront a mounting desire for something else. She takes on a new project and purchases a pied-à-terre in Manhattan. Walking around the city streets reminds Abby what it feels like to be sexy, and her pent-up libido shakes off its inhibitions. Her newfound desire though is not a take-home item, so Abby inaugerates a double life as a high end escort.  Palpably sensual and deliciously contained, CONCUSSION is a keen observation of the complicated contours of midlife crisis.

According to RADiUS co-presidents Tom Quinn and Jason Janego: “We were mesmorized by CONCUSSION and the job Stacie did in creating such rich, relatable characters. This film made an indelible impression anchored by Robin’s exceptional performance – – one of the best we’ve seen on screen in a very long time.”

Stacie Passon goes on to say: “RADiUS is continuing to define itself as a home for artists. We are thrilled with the passion and dedication of Tom Quinn and Jason Janego and their exceptional team. We know we are in excellent hands.”

RADiUS has slated an early fall 2013 release.

In 2012, CONCUSSION was chosen for the Independent Feature Project’s narrative lab.  Additionally, CONCUSSION received the Adrienne Shelly Director’s Grant and the Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live the Dream Grant at the Gotham Awards.

In addition to Reigert (DEADWOOD), CONCUSSION also stars Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney and Laila Robins.  The executive producers are Anthony Cupo and Cliff Chenfeld. Rose Troche
Is the producer.

Quinn and Janego negotiated the deal with Paradigm’s Ben Weiss and attorney Andre Des Rochers both of whom brokered the deal on behalf of the film.

ABOUT RADiUS-TWC
RADiUS-TWC, the multi-platform label from the Weinstein Company (TWC) is the first studio division dedicated to multi-platform distribution. Utilizing both traditional and digital media, RADiUS-TWC brings the highest quality film and other specialty entertainment to a wider audience than ever before. Led by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, the label will continue to develop innovative distribution strategies to make marqueecontent available where, when and how consumers want. The label’s inaugural slate includes such acquisitions as BACHELORETTE and ONLY GOD FORGIVES directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas. Other upcoming titles include: ERASED starring Aaron Eckhart, Errol Morris’ THE UNKNOWN KNOWN and Morgan Neville’s TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM.

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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

“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