Press Releases Archive for August, 2012

39th TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2012 LINE-UP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 25 Narrative and Documentary Films Chosen for Main Program Marion Cotillard, Roger Corman and Mads Mikkelsen Honored Special Programming from Guest Director Geoff Dyer Telluride, CO (August 30, 2012) – Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, today announced its official program selections for the 39th Telluride Film Festival. TFF will…

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CHARLIE SHEEN RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN IN ROMAN COPPOLA’S A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III

Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Patricia Arquette co-star A24 TO RELEASE THE COMEDY NATIONWIDE IN FEBRUARY 2013 NEW YORK, NY (August 30, 2012) — A24, a film company focused on distribution, financing and production with headquarters in New York City, announced today that the company has acquired all U.S. rights to Roman Coppola’s A GLIMPSE…

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SCOTT PICTURES LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL SALES ARM; FORMS SALES JOINT VENTURE WITH EXCLUSIVE MEDIA: “JANE GOT A GUN” STARRING NATALIE PORTMAN FIRST TITLE ANNOUNCED

Los Angeles, August 28, 2012 — Scott Steindorff’s Scott Pictures, an affiliate of Stone Village Productions, has launched a new international sales company, Scott Pictures International (SPI) under a unique and exclusive three year partnership with leading sales agent Exclusive Media, it was announced today by Steindorff, Chairman of SPI and Alex Walton, President of International…

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AFS GRANTS $121,000 TO 2012 TEXAS FILMMAKERS’ PRODUCTION FUND & TRAVEL GRANT RECIPIENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, August 29, 2012 (Austin, TX)–The Austin Film Society (AFS) is very proud to announce the recipients of its 2012 Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund (TFPF), which this year awarded cash grants totalling $89,500 to 16 projects by emerging Texas filmmakers. In addition to cash grants, AFS gave away $10,000 in goods and services from MPS Camera Austin,…

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THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER announces On Cinema conversation between Noah Baumbach and Brian De Palma and HBO Films® Directors Dialogues series with Abbas Kiarostami, David Chase and Robert Zemeckis at the 2012 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL

PRESS RELEASE Masterworks additions are highlighted by Director’s Cut screening of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, restored versions of FELLINI SATYRICON, HEAVEN’S GATE, RICHARD III and the World Premiere of a new version of THE ROLLING STONES – CHARLIE IS MY DARLING – IRELAND 1965 Special sidebar presentations of CINÉASTES DE NOTRE TEMPS/CINÉMA DE NOTRE TEMPS…

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SONY PICTURES ANIMATION CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH RETROSPECTIVE FILM SERIES AND EXCLUSIVE SCREENING OF HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

  Partnership with ASIFA-Hollywood and Animation Magazine Puts Spotlight on First Decade of Productions; Screenings include Filmmaker Reunions, Rare Footage and Giveaways Culver City, CA, August 27, 2012 – The 10th anniversary celebration of Sony Pictures Animation (SPA) continues with a five-week series of special screenings featuring SPA’s beloved collection of animated and hybrid films, as…

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SLEEPWALK WITH ME Scores at IFC CENTER, Breaking an Overall First-time Filmmaker Screen Average Record and the House Record

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  August 26, 2012 – NY – Mike Birbiglia’s SLEEPWALK WITH ME scored a superb opening this weekend with $65,000 at NY’s IFC Center breaking the house record by a large margin and  driving a stellar overall weekend for the theater – one of its biggest weekends ever.  The SLEEPWALK WITH ME gross …

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IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES U.S. RIGHTS TO PETER STRICKLAND’S BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO

New York, NY (August 24, 2012) – IFC Midnight announced today that the company is acquiring all U.S. rights to director Peter Strickland’s psychological horror film BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO. Strickland also wrote the screenplay for the film, which stars Toby Jones, Cosimo Fusco, Antonio Mancino, Fatma Mohamed, Tonia Sotiropolou, and Salvatore Li Causi. Keith Griffiths and…

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SONY PICTURES CLASSICS KEEPS COMPANY WITH ROBERT REDFORD

NEW YORK (August 24, 2012) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all US Rights to Robert Redford’s THE COMPANY YOU KEEP.  Redford, who directed and produced the film, also stars alongside a stellar cast including Shia LeBeouf, Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, Brendan Gleeson, Terence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Stanley…

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Martin Scorsese’s Representatives Make A Statement

“It is shocking to us that the lawyers for Cecchi Gori Pictures would file a suit pursuing such absurd claims considering the amicable working relationship existing between Martin Scorsese and the principals of Cecchi Gori Pictures.The claims asserted are completely contradicted by, inconsistent with, and contrary to the express terms of an agreement entered into…

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Bona Film Group Appoints News Corporation Executive Dr. Jack Q. Gao to Board of Directors

BEIJING, Aug. 23, 2012 — Bona Film Group Limited (“Bona” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq:BONA), a leading film distributor and vertically integrated film company in China, today announced the appointment of Dr. Jack Q. Gao, Senior Vice President of News Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation’s China Investments, to its Board of Directors, which…

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IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO FRANCK KHALFOUN’S MANIAC

New York, NY (August 23, 2012) – IFC Midnight announced today that the company is acquiring all North American rights to director Franck Khalfoun’s thriller MANIAC. Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur wrote the screenplay for the film, which stars Elijah Wood, is a remake of William Lustig’s 1980 film of the same title. Thomas Langmann, Aja,…

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GUS VAN SANT’S PROMISED LAND, WRITTEN BY & STARRING MATT DAMON AND JOHN KRASINSKI, TO BEGIN THEATRICAL RUN DECEMBER 28, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK, August 23, 2012 – Promised Land, Focus Features’ contemporary drama from two-time Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant, will be released in exclusive engagements in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, December 28, 2012, prior to an expansion in January 2013. The film’s original screenplay was written by John Krasinski and…

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Poverty Row Entertainment announces “THE FIRST” as title of new Mary Pickford film starring Lily Rabe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Producers Julie Pacino and Jennifer DeLia will host a party on opening night at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival in honor of the new film New York, August 23, 2012 – The first film to feature the life story of Hollywood legend Mary Pickford has announced a title for the film that is…

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CRAIG ZADAN AND NEIL MERON TO PRODUCE 85TH ACADEMY AWARDS®

August 23, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Beverly Hills, CA– Acclaimed motion picture, television and theater producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce the 85th Academy Awards, Academy President Hawk Koch announced today. This will be the duo’s first involvement with the Oscars. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24,…

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INDICAN PICKS UP ERNEST BORGNINE’S FINAL FILM ‘VICENTE FERNANDEZ’

LOS ANGELES, August 23, 2012 — Indican Pictures has acquired North American rights to Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine’s final film, ‘The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernández’. Indican will release the film theatrically in Los Angeles this October, with additional select cities to follow, and will launch an awards campaign centered on…

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Entertainment Leaders to Be Inducted into Variety Home Entertainment Hall of Fame on December 3rd

Star Wars®, Nu Image’s Lerner, Sony’s Singer, Gaiam’s Sondheim to be honored, Walmart to receive inaugural Innovation Award 08/20/2012 — Nu Image, Inc. and Millennium Films Founder and Chairman Avi Lerner, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Digital Strategy Officer Mitch Singer, Gaiam, Inc. president Bill Sondheim and Star Wars The Complete Saga will be inducted into the Variety Home Entertainment Hall…

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THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER announces Gala Tributes to honor Nicole Kidman and Richard Peña at the 2012 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL

PRESS RELEASE Lee Daniels’ THE PAPERBOY joins NYFF’s main slate NEW YORK, August 21, 2012 —The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today that Nicole Kidman and Richard Peña will be the subject of gala tributes to be presented by the festival for the first time during the historic 50th edition of NYFF. FSLC also…

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A24 OPENS DOORS FOR FILM DISTRIBUTION, FINANCE AND PRODUCTION

Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, John Hodges launch Company  NEW YORK, NY (August 20, 2012) — Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges today announced the formation of A24, a New York-based film company focused on distribution, financing and production. A24 will acquire finished films, and also finance and produce its own content.  The company plans…

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7 SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN COMPETITION FOR 85TH ACADEMY AWARDS®

August 17, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Beverly Hills, CA – The Scientific and Technical Awards Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that seven scientific and technical achievements have been selected for further awards consideration. The list is made public to allow individuals and companies with similar devices or claims…

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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