Press Releases Archive for March, 2011

AMC THEATRES® CUES “ACTION” ON NEW AMC STUBS™ REWARDS PROGRAM

AMC Celebrates Official Nation-wide Launch and Kick Off to the “Search for Stubs Challenge” Las Vegas (March 31, 2011) — AMC Theatres (AMC), a leading theatrical exhibition and entertainment company, today officially unveiled AMC Stubs — the company’s new rewards program — to a crowd of CinemaCon attendees in Las Vegas. AMC Stubs is a new spend-based rewards program that…

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Sundance Selects A Deux With Wenders’ PINA

NEW YORK, March 21, 2011 – Sundance Selects announced today that the company is acquiring all U.S. rights to celebrated director Wim Wenders’ (WINGS OF DESIRE, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB) 3D documentary PINA. Wenders also wrote the screenplay for the picture and produced it along with Gian-Piero Ringel (PALERMO SHOOTING). PINA, an in-depth look into…

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NATO RESPONSE TO EARLY PREMIUM VOD ANNOUNCEMENT

On March 30, it was reported that Warner Bros., Fox, Sony and Universal planned to release certain of their films to the home 60 days after their theatrical release in “premium” Video on Demand at a price point of $30. On behalf of its members, the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) expresses our surprise…

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TRIBECA FILM WILL PREMIERE TITLES FROM 2011 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL IN OVER 40 MILLION HOMES VIA VIDEO-ON-DEMAND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TRIBECA FILM SLATE FEATURES STARS SUCH AS RYAN PHILLIPPE, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, EVA MENDES, SAM WORTHINGTON AND TAYLOR KITSCH New York, NY (March 29, 2011) – Tribeca Film, the comprehensive distribution label from Tribeca Enterprises supported by founding partner American Express, today announced that four of its films, 2011 Tribeca Film Festival official…

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GK FILMS AND INFINITUM NIHIL’S THE RUM DIARY LANDS AT FILMDISTRICT

JOHNNY DEPP STARS FilmDistrict to release October 28 NEW YORK, March, 29, 2011 – It was announced today at CinemaCon, by Bob Berney, President, Theatrical Distribution that FilmDistrict will release “The Rum Diary,” based on the early Hunter S. Thompson novel that was ultimately published in 1998. It stars Johnny Depp and will be released…

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SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP ON WHIT STILLMAN’S Violet Wister’s DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

NEW YORK, NY (March 29, 2011) –Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they will release Oscar nominated Whit Stillman’s latest film Violet Wister’s DAMSELS IN DISTRESS worldwide. Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer produced alongside Stillman, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Greta Gerwig (GREENBERG, upcoming ARTHUR remake), Adam Brody (THE ROMANTICS, upcoming SCREAM…

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ACADEMY TO HOST TRIBUTE TO SOPHIA LOREN

March 28, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will celebrate the life and career of Sophia Loren with a gala evening of film clips and personal remarks from her friends and colleagues, concluding with an onstage conversation with the Oscar®-winning actress on Wednesday, May 4,…

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Cinema Guild Takes The Interrupters For Summer Release

New York, NY, March 28, 2011—The Cinema Guild announced today the acquisition of U.S. theatrical and non-theatrical rights to Sundance Festival favorite “The Interrupters,” a gripping and inspiring documentary about modern-day heroes, former gang members who disrupt violent situations as they happen, from acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz. “The Interrupters” will…

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WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT OFFERS FIVE ADDITIONAL MOVIES FOR RENT DIRECTLY ON FACEBOOK®

STUDIO EXPANDING TEST TO INCLUDE “HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE,” “HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS,” “INCEPTION,” “LIFE AS WE KNOW IT” AND “YOGI BEAR” MILLIONS OF WARNER BROS. FACEBOOK FANS CAN NOW RENT MOVIES USING FACEBOOK CREDITS AND STREAM WITHIN STUDIO’S MOVIE FAN PAGES BURBANK, CALIF., March 27, 2011 – Warner Bros….

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THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE CREATION OF TWC GAMES

NEW YORK, NY March 25, 2011 – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today a new initiative in the video game space by launching TWC Games.  The TWC Games label will utilize The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films’ strong and recognizable properties, and work with external partners to develop and publish video games for mobile, social,…

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FILM LEGEND ROBERT REDFORD, DIRECTOR OF UPCOMING FILM “THE CONSPIRATOR,” TO THROW CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH

INFO ABOUT REDFORD / CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH Robert Redford will be in Chicago to support his most recent directorial effort, The Conspirator, which opens in theatres nationwide April 15.  The debut film from The American Film Company, The Conspirator tells the true, widely unknown story of the lone woman (Robin Wright) charged in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and…

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LORD (DAVID) PUTTNAM SHOWS FILM DISTRIBUTION IS AT THE HEART OF UK FILM CULTURE AND CONSUMPTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE

London — 24 March 2011. In his role as President of the UK trade body, Film Distributors’ Association (FDA), Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE today gave a keynote speech in which he called for the distribution of cinema releases to be placed at the heart of planning for a new UK film policy. Speaking in London’s…

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OSCAR’S BEST PICTURE IS NOW THE BEST FAMILY FILM OF 2011 AS WEINSTEIN’S THE KING’S SPEECH PG-13 OPENS NATIONWIDE APRIL 1

Quadruple Academy Award® Winner  To Open On 1,000 Screens, Will Be Only Version In Theatres New York, NY, March 24, 2011 – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that THE KING’S SPEECH PG-13, the family-friendly version of its Academy Award-winning historical drama about King George VI, will open on 1,000 screens nationwide on April 1,…

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IFC FILMS TAKES ALL U.S. RIGHTS TO ROB MINKOFF’S COMEDY FLYPAPER

New York, NY (March 24, 2011) – IFC Films announced today that the company is acquiring U.S. rights to director Rob Minkoff’s (THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE LION KING) robbery comedy FLYPAPER from Foresight Unlimited. Produced by Mark Damon, Patrick Dempsey, and Peter Safran, the film stars Dempsey (GREY’S ANATOMY), Ashley Judd (CROSSING OVER), Jeffrey Tambor…

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The Dallas Film Society Announces Efforts to Promote Social Change through the Love of Film at the 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival

Press Release Dallas, TX, March 24, 2011 – The 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac has announced the festival intends to raise awareness of social issues and promote the need for change through a series of panels, new awards and partnerships with health organizations. For the first time in the festival’s five-year history,…

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John Gill appointed CEO of National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)

March 22, 2011: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Winnipeg, MB – The board of the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) is pleased to announce the appointment of respected executive John Gill as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will assume the position on April 4, 2011. “John comes to NSI with a wealth of experience and…

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scenechronize Now Fully Established in Hollywood

$5M financing raised; David Semel joins the board; New office in Burbank. SAN FRANCISCO (March 22, 2011)–scenechronize, the only web-based production management system in Hollywood, has closed a $5.0M series B financing, led by 3 private investors — it was announced today by scenechronize CEO Hunter Hancock.  Hancock also announced that veteran Hollywood director David…

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HOT DOCS CELEBRATES 18th YEAR WITH MORE FILMS ON MORE SCREENS THAN EVER BEFORE

For immediate release Toronto, March 22, 2011 – Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, proudly returns for its 18th annual edition from April 28 to May 8, 2011.  Showcasing the best Canadian and international documentaries, Hot Docs is set to welcome delegates, filmmakers and audiences to Toronto…

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ERIK LOMIS JOINS THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY AS PRESIDENT OF THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT

New York (March 16, 2011) – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Erik Lomis has joined the company as president of theatrical distribution and home entertainment.  The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser. In his new position, Lomis will oversee the theatrical distribution slate for TWC and Dimension Films, including such upcoming…

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SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2011 AWARD WINNERS

Austin, Texas – March 15, 2011 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the 2011 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, hosted by comedian Owen Egerton in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. New…

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Press Releases

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