By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

Paramount Picks ANOMALISA Worldwide

Posted Wednesday, September 16th, 2015 - Comments Off on Paramount Picks ANOMALISA Worldwide
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PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO DISTRIBUTE WORLDWIDE THE ACCLAIMED FILM “ANOMALISA” FROM DIRECTORS CHARLIE KAUFMAN AND DUKE JOHNSON
THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL GRAND JURY PRIZE WINNING FILM WILL RELEASE DOMESTICALLY ON DECEMBER 30, 2015 IN NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES
 

HOLLYWOOD (September 16, 2015) – Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, announced it will distribute worldwide the film ANOMALISA from directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson.  ANOMALISA has emerged as the most lauded film to debut this Fall, winning near universal critical acclaim.  After world premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, the film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival where it screened in competition.  It also just screened at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation and will next show at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas and at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Domestically, the film will be released onDecember 30, 2015 in New York and Los Angeles.
Said Brad Grey, CEO and Chairman of Paramount Pictures, “The film is a spectacular achievement of artistry, one that we are incredibly pleased to be a part of. Charlie is a filmmaker of immense vision and craft and he and Duke have created a film that stands alone as one of the year’s best”.
“ANOMALISA has been a three year labor of love and we are thrilled the film has now found a home at Paramount with people who are passionate about the film and are committed to sharing it with the world,” said directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson with producer Rosa Tran.
Michael Stone, husband, father and respected author of “How May I Help You Help Them?,” is a man crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip to Cincinnati, where he’s scheduled to speak at a convention of customer service professionals, he checks into the Fregoli Hotel. There, he is amazed to discover a possible escape from his desperation in the form of an unassuming Akron baked goods sales rep, Lisa, who may or may not be the love of his life. A beautifully tender and absurdly humorous dreamscape, from the brilliant minds of Charlie Kaufman (SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK ) and Duke Johnson (“Community” episode, Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas), this stop-motion animation wonder features the vocal cast of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan and David Thewlis and a stirring strings-based score by Carter Burwell.  The darkly comedic and surreal stop-motion journey of a man’s long night of the soul, ANOMALISA confirms Charlie Kaufman’s place amongst the most important of American filmmakers, and announces Duke Johnson as a major creative force.
The film, partially funded via a Kickstarter campaign, is a Starburns  Industries, Snoot Entertainment production, and is produced by Rosa Tran, Johnson, Kaufman, and Dino Stamatopoulos. The film is executive produced by James A. Fino, Dan Harmon, Joe Russo II, Keith Calder, Jessica Calder, Aaron Mitchell, Kassandra Mitchell, Pandora Edmiston, David Fuchs, Simon Ore, David Rheingold, and Adrian Versteegh.
CAA and WME Global brokered the deal with Erik Hyman of Loeb & Loeb on behalf of the filmmakers. The studio’s negotiating team was lead by Paramount’s SVP of Acquisition and Production Eben Davidson and David Miercort, SVP of Business Affairs. Hanway Films handled international sales.
CAA and WME Global brokered the deal with Erik Hyman of Loeb & Loeb on behalf of the filmmakers. The studio’s negotiating team was lead by Paramount’s SVP of Acquisition and Production Eben Davidson and David Miercort, SVP of Business Affairs. Hanway Films handled international sales.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
 
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Television, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Snoot Entertainment
Snoot Entertainment is a motion picture production company founded by Keith Calder and Jessica Calder in February 2004 to develop, finance, and produce films across all genres and media. In addition to ANOMALISA, Snoot also premiered Sean Byrne’s THE DEVIL’S CANDY at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival. Other recent Snoot productions include FAULTS, the dramatic thriller starring Leland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, which was released in March 2015:  Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s THE GUEST, which was released in 2014 by Picturehouse; the award-winning horror film YOU’RE NEXT, which Lionsgate released wide in August of 2013.
Additional Snoot films include the Morgan Spurlock documentary, THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, which was released by Sony Pictures Classics; the award-winning audience favorite documentary THUNDER SOUL; the martial-arts action film BUNRAKU; and the intense horror film UNDOCUMENTED. Snoot’s first release was the 3D animated science-fiction film BATTLE FOR TERRA. In addition, Keith produced ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE, THE WACKNESS, and PEEP WORLD through Occupant Films, which he co-founded in 2005.
About Starburns Industries 
Starburns Industries is a groundbreaking production studio specializing in stop-motion
animation traditional 2D animation, and live-action productions.The company produces TV shows, features, commercials and new media projects for brands like Disney, Cartoon Network,Samsung and NBC Universal.
In addition to producing Anomalisa, Starburns Industries co-produced the documentary feature, Harmontown, about writer and producer Dan Harmon. Additionally, the company is the production home of Adult’s Swim’s hit animated series, Rick and Morty, created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. Two critically acclaimed animated specials for Community and the animated special, Beforel Orel are also among the studio’s most notable work. Starburns Industries is lead by partners and founders Joe Russo II (The Simpsons, Rugrats), James A. Fino (King of the Hill), Dan Harmon (Community, Rick and Morty) and Dino Stamatopoulos (Adult Swim’s Moral Orel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole, Mr. Show, Conan). Learn more at http://www.starburnsind.com

 

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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?

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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.

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