Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired MAD AS HELL, with plans to digitally release the documentary film on February 6th with theatrical screenings in New York and Los Angeles and a DVD/Blu-ray release to follow.
MAD AS HELL world premiered at the 2014 Hot Docs Film Festival where it won the Gaiam TV Conscious Media Award and will next screen as an Official Selection at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
The Young Turks, one of the most popular online news shows in the world, has amassed a YouTube network consisting of millions of subscribers and billions of views. But that wasn’t always the case. MAD AS HELL documents the tumultuous, at times hilarious and altogether astonishing trajectory of Cenk Uygur, The Young Turks’ main host and founder, as he traverses from unknown public access TV host to Internet sensation by way of YouTube. When he ventures into national television by landing the 6 PM time slot on MSNBC, Cenk’s uncensored brand of journalism is compromised as he becomes a thorn in the side of traditional news media; his unwavering dedication to speaking the truth puts him at the very nexus of the battle between new and old media.
About the acquisition, Oscilloscope’s Dan Berger and David Laub said, “MAD AS HELL is an intelligent and engaging portrait that introduces audiences to an incredible group of people that have become a dominant force in news. The Young Turks are as important, if not more so than any jackass on Fox News and we’re excited to do our small part in letting their story into your home.”
Filmmaker Andrew Napier said, “This film is about a man who says and does things that are often deemed unpopular with the traditional media, and I’m thankful that there is a badass company like Oscilloscope willing to distribute and share this story.”
MAD AS HELL is currently playing select theaters across the country via Gathr Films’ Theatrical On Demand model.
MAD AS HELL is directed and produced by Andrew Napier. Andrew was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Andrew was a producer of the 2013 Academy Award®-winning short film CURFEW, and later edited its feature adaptation BEFORE I DISAPPEAR (SXSW 2014 Audience Award Winner). His screenplay for DOGTOOTH, a remake of the Academy Award®-nominated Greek foreign film, is currently in development at Mandalay Pictures. In addition to MAD AS HELL, he also directed the narrative short GRANDMA’S NOT A TOASTER (Tribeca 2013) and the feature documentary MARY AND BILL (Wisconsin Film Festival 2011 Best Documentary). Andrew produced and edited the documentaries THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL (2014), about the band “of Montreal,” released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, and the upcoming BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cLEGmDrA