By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

OSCILLOSCOPE IS GETTING LOW DOWN; ACQUIRES ACCLAIMED SUNDANCE DRAMA

Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Jeff Preiss’ LOW DOWN, starring John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Flea (with featured turns by Caleb Landry Jones, Tim Daly and Taryn Manning). The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January as an early cut (where it won the Best Cinematography award) and has just been announced or New York’s BAM CinemaFest, looks at the life of Amy-Jo Albany and her relationship with her father, legendary jazz pianist Joe Albany. Oscilloscope will continue to play the film at festivals in the lead-up to its theatrical release.
 
Based on the memoir by Albany, the film is a compassionate, tender look at the complex relationship between Amy-Jo (Fanning) and her father Joe (Hawkes), a man torn between his musical ambition, his love for his daughter, and his suffocating heroin addiction. Set against a sensuously textured 1970s Hollywood, the film beautifully evokes a colorful, seedy world of struggling musicians, artists, and vagabonds, in which Joe and Amy-Jo strive to live the lives they want against seemingly insurmountable odds.
 
About the Acquisition, O-scope’s David Laub and Dan Berger said, “Low Down is a truly wonderful film. Jeff immerses us fully into this unique world—every detail is perfect – and paints complex, sympathetic characters simultaneously real and larger-than-life. We’re very excited to share his incredible vision, and the cast’s tremendous performances, with the world.”
 
Filmmaker Jeff Preiss says, “I’ve been so privileged over the last ten years working with Amy-Jo, distilling her amazing story into a film.  Taking the next step with O-Scope feels like having found the perfect fit to bring everyone’s hard work to a larger audience.”
 
Low Down was produced by Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions and Mindy Goldberg of Epoch Films. The film was executive produced by Amy-Jo Albany, Burton Ritchie, Win McCormack, Flea, Anthony Kiedis, and Daniel-Konrad Cooper. The screenplay was written by Amy-Jo Albany and Topper Lilien. 
 
The deal was negotiated by the UTA Independent Film Group’s Bec Smith and attorney Linda Lichter on behalf of the filmmakers.
 
About Oscilloscope Laboratories
 
Oscilloscope Laboratories is a film production and distribution entity launched in 2008 by Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys. Yauch modeled the company after the indie record labels he grew up around, choosing films and releasing them with the same artistic integrity with which they were made.  The company, an extension of Yauch’s recording studio of the same name, has an in-house DVD distribution and production arm, and its paper packaging is reminiscent of the heyday of LP record jackets. Previous and current releases include Lynne Ramsay’s Golden Globe® Nominated WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly; Marshall Curry’s Oscar-nominated IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT; Oren Moverman’s Oscar-nominated THE MESSENGER starring Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson; Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF starring Michelle Williams; Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson’s SAMSARA; Todd Berger’s IT’S A DISASTER, starring David Cross, Julia Stiles, and America Ferrara; Andrew Dosunmu’s Sundance-winning MOTHER OF GEORGE; Martha Shane and Lana Wilson’s AFTER TILLER; Lotfy Nathan’s 12 O’CLOCK BOYS; Matt Wolf’s TEENAGE; and Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais’ WHITEWASH.  Upcoming releases include Sam Fleischner’s STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS, Dan Krauss’s THE KILL TEAM, James Byrkit’s COHERENCE, Wayne Wang’s SOUL OF A BANQUET, Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman’s ART AND CRAFT, Jason Miller’s THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL, and Florian Habicht’s PULP.
 
About Bona Fide Productions
 
Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa formed Bona Fide Productions as partners in 1993.   Their producing credits include Stephen Soderbergh’s King of the Hill, Alexander Payne’s Election, Anthony Minghella’s Cold Mountain, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’s Little Miss Sunshine and Ruby Sparks, Todd Field’s Little Children and most recently Nebraska among others.  They executive produced the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Hamlet 2 and the Levon Helm documentary Ain’t In It For My Health.  In addition, Mr. Yerxa executive produced Jack the Bearand Mr. Berger executive produced Crumb.
 
Bona Fide recently premiered Low Down, starring John Hawkes, Elle Fanning and Glenn Close, in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Their HBO series The Leftovers will premiere at the end of June.
 
After graduating from Tufts University, Albert Berger returned to his native Chicago where he owned and managed the Sandburg Theatre, a revival showcase for obscure and classic films.  He attended Columbia University film school before moving to Los Angeles to write scripts for Paramount, TriStar, MGM, Orion, and producer Roger Corman.  Berger went on to serve as Vice President of development for Marvin Worth Productions at Paramount Pictures, where he worked on several projects, including Malcolm X.
 
Ron Yerxa graduated from Stanford University and worked as a journalist and teacher before becoming an independent producer.
 
About Epoch Films
 
Mindy Goldberg founded Epoch Films in 1989 with a vision of creating a place for talented young directors to gain access to the otherwise restricted commercial marketplace. Today, twenty five years later, Epoch is a leading commercial production company with offices in New York, Los Angeles and London. During her tenure at Epoch Films, Goldberg is proud to have helped launch and build the careers of a strong contingent of successful commercial directors.
 
In 2005, Goldberg began Epoch’s push into feature films. The first film Goldberg produced under the Epoch banner was JUNEBUG, directed by Phil Morrison, and released by Sony Pictures Classics. The film earned an Independent Spirit Award for Amy Adams as well as an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. In 2008, Goldberg produced GIGANTIC, directed by Matt Aselton. The film premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
 
Goldberg produced two films in 2013, GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, the directorial debut by JUNEBUG writer, Angus MacLachlan, and LOWDOWN, the first narrative feature film by Epoch director and partner, Jeff Preiss. LOWDOWN stars John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), and premiered in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. 
 
Continuing to build Epoch’s diverse slate, Goldberg, is attached to produce THREEWAY, an original narrative written by Peter Warren for Epoch comedy-pro, Michael Downing to direct; Matt Aselton’s second feature, RODEO IN JOLIET, based on the memoir by Glenn Rockowitz; andFATHERS AND SONS, adapted from the Ivan Turgenev novel by Angus MacLachlan with Phil Morrison to direct. 

 

(New York, NY) May 7, 2014
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