Press Releases Archive for January, 2014

TLA Entertainment Group Sold to New York-Based Investment Firm Sterling Genesis International

For Immediate Release New York (January 30, 2014) — TLA Entertainment Group, Inc. (TLAEG) announced today that the company has been acquired by New York-based investment firm Sterling Genesis International, LLC. The sale includes direct to consumer brands of all digital properties including tlamovies.com, tlavideo.com, tlagay.com, tlacult.com and tlaondemand.com. G. Sterling Zinsmeyer, Chairman of Sterling Genesis International, will become Chief Operating Officer of TLAEG….

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EMERGING PICTURES ANNOUNCES “CINEMA MADE IN ITALY,” A MAJOR NEW INITIATIVE TO EXPAND AMERICAN AUDIENCE FOR ITALIAN CINEMA

NEW FILMS BY AMELIO, BELLOCCHIO, BERTOLUCCI, GOLINO AND SORRENTINO.

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Comments About Tom Sherak From Family, NATO and Hawk Koch

A statement from the Sherak family regarding the death of former Academy President Tom Sherak.

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2014 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FEATURE FILM AWARDS

Audience Favorites Include Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory, Whiplash, The Green Prince, Difret and Imperial Dreams Park City, UT — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in…

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IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES U.S. AND LATIN AMERICAN RIGHTS TO JENNIFER KENT’S FEATURE DEBUT THE BABADOOK

Film Features A Breakout Performance From Lead Actress Essie Davis PARK CITY, UTAH (January 25, 2014) – IFC Midnight announced today from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival that the company is acquiring U.S. and Latin American rights to Jennifer Kent’s psychological horror film THE BABADOOK. The film, with a screenplay by Kent, stars actress Essie Davis…

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“LOVE IS STRANGE” AND SONY PICTURES CLASSICS GET HITCHED

John Lithgow and Alfred Molina star in career-defining roles     Ira Sachs’ love letter to New York City has been one of the most talked about films at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival  NEW YORK (January 24, 2014) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American, German and Scandinavian rights to Ira…

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A24 TO DISTRIBUTE J.C. CHANDOR’S A MOST VIOLENT YEAR IN THE U.S. FOR PARTICIPANT MEDIA

  THRILLER STARRING OSCAR ISAAC AND JESSICA CHASTAIN TO START FILMING SHORTLY IN NYC   New York, NY, January 22, 2014 – A24 has acquired U.S. rights to Participant Media’s A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, written and directed by J.C. Chandor (All is Lost, Margin Call) and starring Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and two-time Academy…

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RADiUS FALLS FOR ‘THE ONE I LOVE’ AROUND THE WORLD

SINGULAR ROMANTIC COMEDY STARRING MARK DUPLASS AND ELISABETH MOSS IS DIRECTED BY CHARLIE MCDOWELL AND PRODUCED BY THE DUPLASS BROTHERS FILM HAS BEEN THE TALK UP AND DOWN MAIN STREET SINCE ITS WORLD PREMIERE (Park City, UTAH) January 23, 2014 – RADiUS-TWC is proud to announce it has acquired worldwide rights to the romantic comedy THE ONE I LOVE…

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IFC FILMS TAKES U.S. RIGHTS TO JOHN SLATTERY-DIRECTED GOD’S POCKET

Film Stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, and John Turturro PARK CITY, UTAH (January 22, 2014) – IFC Films announced today from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival that the company is acquiring U.S. rights to John Slattery’s directorial debut film, GOD’S POCKET. The film, with a screenplay by Slattery and Alex Metcalf, stars Philip Seymour…

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SONY PICTURES CLASSICS LANDS SUNDANCE SLEEPER HIT LAND HO!

SPC secured worldwide rights to Martha Stephens & Aaron Katz’s bawdy road trip comedy.

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FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES ACQUIRES “I ORIGINS”

Specialty Arm Acquires Worldwide Rights PARK CITY, UT January 20, 2014 – Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley announced today that the company has acquired worldwide rights to the existential drama I ORIGINS.  Directed and written by Mike Cahill, I ORIGINS is his second feature following ANOTHER EARTH which Fox Searchlight acquired…

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Sundance Institute Receives $5 Million Grant from Open Society Foundations:

Support for Documentary Films Examining Contemporary Human Rights and Social Issues

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SAG-AFTRA Honors Outstanding Film and Television Performances at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 18, 2014) — SAG-AFTRA presented its coveted Actor® statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2013 at the “20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®” in ceremonies attended by film and television’s leading actors, held Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The “20th Annual Screen…

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SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES SUNDANCE HIT WHIPLASH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         NEW YORK (January 18, 2014) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American, Australian, New Zealand and German rights to Damien Chazelle’s feature WHIPLASH.  The film, which played as the 2014 Sundance Film Festival’s opening night film, received rave reviews on Thursday. Written by Chazelle, WHIPLASH stars Miles…

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Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Take International On Sundance Opener, Whiplash

SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS TAKES INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS TO SUNDANCE OPENER, WHIPLASH Park City, UT (January 16, 2014) – Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) has acquired rights to several international territories to this year’s 2014 Sundance Film Festival opening night feature film, WHIPLASH, starring J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller. Territories acquired include: UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, Eastern…

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THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER and THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART Announce Seven Official Selections for the 43rd edition of New Directors/New Films

New York, NY, January 14, 2014—The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art today announced seven official selections for the 2014 New Directors/New Films Festival (ND/NF) (March 19–30). The 2014 edition marks the 43rd year of the festival, which is dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic…

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OSCARS TO CELEBRATE MOVIE HEROES

January 14, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The 86th Academy Awards® will be a celebration of movie heroes, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. Offering their first preview of the upcoming Oscar broadcast, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, the producers said the show will honor big-screen real-life heroes, super heroes, popular…

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RYAN WERNER TO JOIN CINETIC MEDIA

“Ryan is one of the most inspired and innovative marketing minds we have encountered,” John Sloss said.

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SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES WOODY ALLEN’S NEXT FILM MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT

Film marks seventh collaboration with the filmmaker and Sony Classics.

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Sundance Institute Announces Jury Members for 2014 Sundance Film Festival

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally to Host Feature Film Awards Ceremony,
Livestreamed on January 25.

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Press Releases

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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