RLJE Films and Netflix acquired The Water Man, the directorial debut of actor David Oyelowo (Selma), which he also stars in along with Rosario Dawson (“Luke Cage”). In North America the film is expected to be released day-and-date in theaters and PVOD on May 7, 2021 and Netflix will release the film internationally later this year. The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and also opened this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival.
Following its acclaimed debut at this year’s 2021 Sundance film festival, Focus Features acquired Edgar Wright’s first documentary feature, The Sparks Brothers. The film chronicles the decades-long career and influence of the enigmatic rock pop duo Sparks.
Capelight Pictures releases the Russian WWII action drama 1942: Unknown Battle directed by I. Kopylov on March 2nd on digital and DVD.
HBO released the first official teaser trailer for TINA, a revealing and intimate look at the life and career of musical icon Tina Turner, from Academy Award®-winning directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin. Angela Bassett, Oprah Winfrey, journalist Kurt Loder, playwright Katori Hall and Tina’s husband Erwin Bach are among the interviews in the intimate documentary. The documentary debuts Saturday, March 27 (8:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET/PT) on HBO.
MTV Documentary Films acquired the documentary short subject Hunger Ward which will have its world premiere on Pluto TV’s 24/7 Documentary Channel, Pluto TV Documentaries at 7pm ET on Monday, March 1st.
Fans are invited to take part in a global live premiere event to celebrate the release of “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry,” a new Apple Original Film from award-winning director R.J. Cutler.
HBO Max debuted the official trailer for the documentary “Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests,” set to premiere on March 4, 2021. Directed by Tim Travers Hawkins (“XY Chelsea”), the documentary explores the origins of America’s obsession with personality testing.
The horror-comedy Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers directed by Ryan Barton-Grimley will be released on digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms and DVD on March 16, 2021 through Freestyle Digital Media.
Netflix released the teaser trailer for the new documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, that delves in the college admissions scandal that dominated the headlines. The documentary directed by Chris Smith, the filmmaker behind Fyre scandal documentary, will be released on March 17, 2021.
Russian distributor Central Partnership kicks off 2021 with a bunch of brand-new films presented at EFM. These films include “The World Champion”, “December”, “The Pilot. A Battle for Survival” which have not been announced at the global market yet, as well as “The Ice Demon”, “Row 19”, “White Snow”, “Zoya” and the high-budget blockbusters “Chernobyl” and “Fire”.
“Film business in Russia is coming back to life, despite the pandemic-related restrictions. Most of the productions have resumed and we are boosting our international sales and digital distribution. At EFM we announce new films based on high-quality genre storytelling: powerful female characters, real-life events, thrillers and more… This year it’s still our main focus to bring national productions to the global audiences”, says Central Partnership’s CEO Vadim Vereschagin.
Through personal stories, Olga Lvoff’s award-winning documentary Busy Inside delves deeply into Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) – formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, a condition that fascinates and puzzles modern psychiatry.
In the psychological thriller Rose Plays Julie starring Ann Skelly, Orla Brady and Aidan Gillen, an adoptee’s search for identity leads to a dark turn of events. Written and directed by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, the film nominated for “Best Film” at the London Film Festival, will open in virtual cinema, VOD and digital on March 19, 2021.