• Video Services Corp Ink Deal With Magnolia Pictures; BIG BAD WOLVES, LIFE’S A BREEZE Among Films Set for Release in Canada

    BIG BAD WOLVES BIG BAD WOLVES

    Video Services Corp (VSC) has inked a two-year multi-platform Canadian distribution deal with Magnolia Pictures to release up to 30 films a year exclusively for the Canadian market. In the past year VSC has enjoyed handling a successful string of theatrical releases of Magnolia films, including A HIJACKING, BAD MILO!, PRINCE AVALANCHE and TOUCHY FEELY. The deal starts off with the release of the award-winning Israeli film BIG BAD WOLVES in January 2014, followed in March by ALAN PARTRIDGE, already a hit in the UK, starring Steve Coogan. Other projected 2014 releases include the horror anthology THE ABCS OF DEATH 2 and Toronto International Film Festival selections LIFE’S A BREEZE and THE SACRAMENT.

    “This is a watershed moment in the 20-year history of VSC,” says President Jonathan Gross. “We look forward to the rewards of bringing Magnolia’s uniquely creative and compelling 2014 slate to Canadian cinephiles. The films coming from Magnolia and Magnet have an adventurous quality that is a perfect fit with VSC’s catalogue and philosophy.” 

    “We at Magnolia have been fans of Jonathan and VSC’s efficient, nuanced distribution strategies,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Together we hope to significantly grow our Canadian business.”

    Magnolia Pictures and its genre arm Magnet Releasing are the international distributors of acclaimed documentaries, narrative features and genre films, including BLACKFISH, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, Lars Von Trier’sMELANCHOLIA and the upcoming NYMPHOMANIAC, the ONG BAK trilogy and many, many more.

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  • Anne Ashbey to Step Down as Exec Director of Ashland Independent Film Festival

    varsity theater ashland oregon

    The Ashland Independent Film Festival announced on Friday that Anne Ashbey will be stepping down after two years as executive director. The non-profit organization’s board of directors officially accepted her resignation and has approved a transition plan and has formed a search committee to identify the new executive director. Ashbey has agreed to stay on through the transition period. The 13th annual Ashland Independent Film Festival will be celebrated April 3 to 7, 2014 at the Varsity Theatre, the historic Ashland Armory and the Ashland Street Cinema.

    “I have made the decision to step down following the 13th annual festival,” said Ashbey. “This was a difficult decision for me to make, but one that is necessitated by personal circumstances. Please know that I remain committed to AIFF, to ensuring the success of our April 2014 event, and to maintaining the long-term viability of our nonprofit arts organization. I have complete confidence that we have the leadership in place to manage a successful transition and look forward to being an ongoing contributor to this wonderful organization.” Ashbey has agreed to return as a member of the board once her replacement has been selected.

    “Anne has been a terrific director and leader, and we are saddened to see her go,” said AIFF Board President Pam Leandro Notch. “Anne, alongside the incredible AIFF staff, has contributed to AIFF’s ongoing success as one of the nation’s premier film festivals and one of the coolest film festivals in the world, one that offers an experience so welcoming and positive that it attracts the best films and filmmakers. The result is an unsurpassed festival experience that has become a vital part of our community and civic life.”

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  • LOCKE Selected as Opening Night Film of 2014 Phoenix Film Festival

    Steven Knight LOCKE

    LOCKE has been selected as the opening night film of the 14th Phoenix Film Festival taking place April 3 to 10, 2014.  Directed by  filmmaker Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things) and driven by what the festival describes as an unforgettable performance by Tom Hardy, LOCKE is a thrillingly unique cinematic experience of a man fighting to salvage all that is important to him.

    Ivan Locke (Hardy) has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job that he loves and the family he adores.  On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul.  All taking place over the course of one absolutely riveting car ride, LOCKE is an exploration of how one decision can lead to the complete collapse of a life. 

    The week-long Festival will be held once again at Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theaters located at 7000 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85054. 

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  • COMING SOON: Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo Joins The Cast of Ian Olds’ THE FIXER

    Academy Award-winner Melissa LeoMelissa Leo

    Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo joins Ian Olds’ THE FIXER (written by Paul Felten and Ian Olds) as Gloria, the ex-hippie sheriff of a small, darkly eccentric Northern California town. Leo joins James Franco who plays Lindsay, an unstable hot-tub craftsman. Olds and Felten wrote the part of Gloria with Melissa Leo in mind, who previously worked with Olds’ in his short film BOMB (Sundance Film Festival, 2007). 

    THE FIXER tells the story of Osman, an Afghan journalist exiled from his war-torn country to a small bohemian community in Northern California. When he attempts to turn his menial job on the local police blotter into “Afghan-style” coverage of local crime he gets drawn into the backwoods of this small town—a shadow Northern California where sex is casual, true friendship is hard to come by, and an unfamiliar form of violence burbles up all around him.

    Debbie DeLisi of DeLisi Creative joins the project in an international, national and local search for the leading role of Osman, the charismatic 28-year-old journalist from Afghanistan. DeLisi Creative was part of the team behind the successful search for the Somali pirates in Captain Phillips.  Thanks to the San Francisco Film Society’s SFFS/KRF Filmmaking and a partnership with the Afghan Coalition, DeLisi will be holding an open audition outside of San Francisco in Fremont, California for the film’s lead Afghan actor on Sunday, February 16.

    The Fixer is produced by Caroline von Kuhn, ACE Productions and Vince Jolivette, Rabbit Bandini, with a summer shoot in Northern California and Morocco (to double for Afghanistan).

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  • Oliver Stone Among Filmmakers Attending 2014 American Documentary Film Festival

    Oliver Stone, Oliver Stone

    The American Documentary Film Festival taking place March 27 to 31, 2014 in Coachella Valley, California, announced an impressive number of award-winning filmmakers planning on attending this year’s festival, including several Oscar-winning Directors. Oliver Stone, 3 time Oscar-winner and 2012 AmDocs career achievement award recipient, leads an impressive array of filmmakers planning to attend, including John Avildsen (Best Director Oscar: Rocky), Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams, 2 time Oscar winner, Canadian filmmaker, Malcolm Clarke, as well as Canadian filmmaker Chris Landreth (Oscar winner for animation). Other award-winning international filmmakers include Robert Kirchhoff (Slovakia),  Iben Haahr Andersen (Denmark), Alex Breuer (Austria),  Laurent Haase (France), and Jan P. MatuszyŸski (Poland).

    The festival will screen over 100 films over its five day run at three Coachella Valley venues including the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, The Helene Galen Theatre in Rancho Mirage, and the The Indian Wells Theater and Oliphant Auditorium, which is located on the Palm Desert campus of California State University, San Bernardino in the city of Palm Desert.  Previously-announced opening night films include the west coast premiere of documentary feature I Live To Sing, directed by New York Emmy®-winner Julie Cohen, and the Academy Award®-shortlisted animated short Gloria Victoria, directed by Theodore Ushev.

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  • After Dark Program Returns for 2014 Portland International Film Festival

    NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPENNOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN

    After taking a break during last year’s Festival, the popular After Dark program will return for this year’s Portland International Film Festival with SIX midnight movies.  Among the film  selections are new cult director Ti West’s (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) THE SACRAMENT, the “bold, metaphysical sci-fi satire” THE CONGRESS from animator Ari Folman (WALTZ WITH BASHIR), Zack Parker’s harrowing thriller PROXY, James Ward Byrkit’s “mind-bending sci-fi thriller” COHERENCE, Katrin Gebbe’s “intense and gripping first feature” NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN, and Alex van Warmerdam’s “dark, mischievous, and unsettling fable” BORGMAN.

    Complete PIFF After Dark listings:

    Friday, February 7th at 11:45p.m.

    BORGMAN (Dir. Alex van Warmerdam)

    A dark, mischievous, and unsettling fable about a strange vagabond, Borgman takes the concept of home invasion to captivating new levels. Driven by the authorities from his underground hideout, the enigmatic Camiel Borgman is on the run. Covered in dirt, he arrives at Marina and Richard’s large suburban home asking to use their shower, thus beginning a game of sly calculation as he insinuates himself into their lives. He soon starts to manipulate the family with almost preternatural charisma as his more sinister plans make themselves known in chilling fashion. Filled with nasty humor and demonic imagination, van Warmerdam’s film shows that “evil comes in everyday form, embodied within ordinary, normal, polite men and women…enacted not just on cold winter nights but in the optimistic summer, beneath a warm and comforting sun.”—Alex van Warmerdam. (113 mins.)

    Saturday, February 8th at 11:45p.m.

    THE SACRAMENT (Dir. Ti West)

    A shocking tale of devotion gone horribly wrong, The Sacrament offers a disturbing vision of the power of groupthink. Patrick is a photographer whose once drug-addicted sister Caroline is a member of an isolated sober-living community in Mississippi. Patrick discovers that the program is closer to a communal-living collective and that there is a strange and charismatic leader of the group, known only as “Father.” When his sister leaves the country to start a new utopian society in the jungle, he enlists two co-workers to shoot a documentary on their whereabouts. Based on detailed research of the infamous Jonestown massacre, The Sacrament provides a terrifying examination of modern religion, charismatic influence, and the exploitation of power as West explores the horrific idea of a man who can talk people into killing themselves. (95 mins.)

    >Director Ti West in attendance. 

     

    Friday, February 14th at 11:45p.m.

    THE CONGRESS (Dir. Ari Folman)

    “Folman’s follow-up to his strikingly rotoscoped Waltz with Bashir is a bold, metaphysical sci-fi satire: a live-action set-up that goes down the rabbit hole of loony animation partway through. Based on a novel by Solarisauthor Stanislaw Lem, The Congress sees Robin Wright playing Robin Wright, an actress with diminishing options in a savage and surreal movie business. When her agent (Harvey Keitel) delivers an ultimatum, Wright’s only choice is to sell her very identity. Plunged into a lurid Orwellian future, she must rediscover herself with the help of her personal animator (Jon Hamm) and human doctor (Paul Giamatti).”—London Film Festival. “[A] visionary work…it’s lyrical and mysterious, contemplating age-old sci-fi questions (of artificial intelligence, of perception versus reality) while grafting them onto a commentary about the changing nature of movies.”— RogerEbert.com. (120 mins.)
     

    Saturday, February 15th at 11:45p.m.

    NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN (Dir. Katrin Gebbe)

    Young Tore belongs to the fervent Jesus Freaks, a fundamentalist Christian punk movement rebelling against established religion whilst at the same time following Jesus’s precepts of love. One day, in what appears to be a miracle, Tore manages to repair a car that has broken down and gets to know the driver, Benno. Before long, Tore moves into a tent in Benno’s garden and gradually becomes part of his family. But Benno can’t resist playing a cruel game, designed to test Tore’s faith. As the violence become more and more extreme, Tore’s capacity for love is pushed to its limits. “Intense and gripping…a robust and compelling first feature…deserving of a special Palme d’Horreur.”—Variety. (110 mins.)
     

    Friday, February 21th at 11:45p.m.

    PROXY (Dir. Zack Parker)

    “As a pregnant Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) walks home, she is viciously attacked by a hooded assailant. In the wake of this traumatic event, she finds some consolation and normalcy in the kindly Melanie (Alexa Havins), whom she meets at a support group. But a chance encounter makes it clear that nothing—and no one—in Esther’s life is as it appears. Setting off a chain reaction of increasingly shocking revelations, Proxytwists and turns its way through loss, grief, and death. The surprise standout is auteur Joe Swanberg in a supporting role as Melanie’s husband. Be warned: Proxy begins with some deeply disturbing content, but this immensely challenging thriller will reward audiences who stick with it as it delves into very dark territory and confronts our every assumption and belief about what we have seen.”—Toronto International Film Festival.(120 mins.)

    Director Zack Parker in attendance.

     

    Saturday, February 22nd at 11:45p.m.

    COHERENCE (Dir. James Ward Byrkit)

    A group of friends and ex-lovers learn why you should not throw a dinner party the night a mysterious comet is passing close to Earth in this mind-bending science fiction thriller. The first glasses of wine have barely been poured when tensions start to rise. None of that matters, however, when the lights go off throughout the neighborhood, all except for one house a few blocks over, lit up like a beacon in the darkness. “Coherence is a cerebral low-budget sci-fi that dives headfirst into a pool of quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. It’s a tightly focused, intimately shot film that quickly ratchets up the tension and mystery.Coherence is relationship drama turned on its head, giving you plenty to think about without spoon-feeding you any answers.”—Fantastic Fest. (89 mins.)

    Director James Ward Byrkit in attendance.

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  • SXSW Unveils Midnighter Features & Short Films Lineup

    Adam Wingard's THE GUEST Adam Wingard’s THE GUEST

    The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival taking place March 7 to15, 2014, in Austin, Texas, unveiled the films in the Midnighters section, and the short film lineup.This year’s Midnighters sections includes eight world premieres, and one U.S. premiere including  STAGE FRIGHT, the feature film debut of writer/director Jerome Sable, and Adam Wingard’s THE GUEST which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.

    SXSW 2014 Midnighters:

    13 Sins
    Director/Screenwriter: Daniel Stamm, Screenwriter: David Birke

    A cryptic phone call sets off a dangerous game of risks for Elliot, a down-on-his luck salesman. The game promises increasing rewards for completing 13 tasks, each more sinister than the last.
    Cast: Mark Webber, Rutina Wesley, Devon Graye, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Richard Burgi, Tom Bower, Ron Perlman (World Premiere)

    Among The Living (France)
    Director/Screenwriter: Julien Maury, Alexandre Bustillo

    After horror favorites Inside and Livid, Maury and Bustillo pair up again for a horror-thriller at the cross roads between Stand by Me and Friday the13th.
    Cast: Anne Marivin, Béatrice Dalle, Francis Renaud, Fabien Jegoudez, Nicolas Giraud (World Premiere)

    Exists
    Director: Eduardo Sánchez, Screenwriter: Jamie Nash

    Five friends on a camping weekend in the remote woods of East Texas struggle to survive against a legendary beast that is stronger, smarter and more terrifying than they would have ever believed exists.
    Cast: Chris Osborn, Dora Madison Burge, Roger Edwards, Denise Williamson, Samuel Davis (World Premiere)

    The Guest
    Director: Adam Wingard, Screenwriter: Simon Barrett

    A soldier on leave befriends the family of a fallen comrade, only to become a threat to all around him when it’s revealed he’s hiding dangerous secrets from his past.
    Cast: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Leland Orser, Lance Reddick, Sheila Kelley

    Home
    Director/Screenwriter: Nicholas McCarthy

    When a realtor is asked to sell a vacant home, she and her sister cross paths with its previous tenant: a teenage girl who sold her soul to the devil.
    Cast: Naya Rivera, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ashley Rickards, Wyatt Russell, Ava Acres (World Premiere)

    Honeymoon
    Director/Screenwriter: Leigh Janiak, Screenwriter: Phil Graziadei

    Young newlyweds find their honeymoon spiraling mysteriously into chaos.
    Cast: Rose Leslie, Harry Treadaway, Ben Huber, Hanna Brown (World Premiere)

    Late Phases
    Director: Adrián García Bogliano, Screenwriter: Eric Stolze

    When deadly attacks from the forests beset a secluded retirement community, it is up to a grizzled veteran to figure what the residents are hiding.
    Cast: Nick Damici, Ethan Embry, Erin Cummings, Tom Noonan, Lance Guest (World Premiere)

    Oculus
    Director/Screenwriter: Mike Flanagan, Screenwriter: Jeff Howard

    As children, two siblings witnessed their parents’ harrowing descent into madness and death. Now, as adults, they reunite to expose and destroy the supernatural entity responsible: the Lasser Glass – a legendary mirror their parents owned.
    Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, James Lafferty, Katee Sackhoff (U.S. Premiere)

    Stage Fright
    Director: Jerome Sable

    Stage Fright tells the story of a snobby musical theater camp terrorized by a bloodthirsty masked killer who despises musical theatre. “Scream” meets “Glee” in this genre-bending R-rated horror-musical.
    Cast: Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Brandon Uranowitz, Kent Nolan, Melanie Leishman (World Premiere)

    Starry Eyes
    Directors/Screenwriters: Dennis Widmyer, Kevin Kolsch

    In the city of dreams, a desperate actress will do whatever it takes for the role of a lifetime… no matter what the cost.
    Cast: Alexandra Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Fabianne Therese, Noah Segan, Shane Coffey (World Premiere)

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  • Horror Film STAGE FRIGHT Set to Premiere at SXSW, Gets a U.S. Release Date

    STAGE FRIGHT is the feature film debut of writer/director Jerome Sable

    STAGE FRIGHT, described as a horror/comedy/musical about “bloodthirsty gorehounds and musical theatre geeks,” which world premieres in the Midnighters section at March’s SXSW Film Festival, will be released in the U.S. by Magnet Releasing, the genre division of Magnolia Pictures. STAGE FRIGHT is the feature film debut of writer/director Jerome Sable, director of the award-winning, festival favorite short, “The Legend of Beaver Dam” and stars Allie MacDonald and Douglas Smith, with Minnie Driver and Meat Loaf.  Magnet is releasing the film in its Ultra VOD program, launching it on iTunes and On Demand on April 3rd, followed by a theatrical release on May 9th.

    “Scream” meets “Glee” in this dark comedy musical about a starry-eyed teenager Camilla Swanson who aspires to follow in the footsteps of her Broadway diva mother. Instead she’s stuck working in the kitchen of a snobby performing arts camp. Determined to change her destiny, she sneaks in to audition for the summer showcase and lands a lead role in the play, but just as rehearsals begin, blood starts to spill, and Camilla soon finds herself terrified by the horror of musical theater.

    “As a fan of Magnet and the movies they release, I cannot tell you how excited I am that our film is on their roster,” said Sable. “I am honored that they’re helping me with my lifelong dream of bringing bloodthirsty gorehounds and musical theatre geeks a little bit closer together.”

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  • Magnolia Pictures to Release Roger Ebert Documentary LIFE ITSELF from Sundance Film Festival

    LIFE ITSELF, a documentary about the life of Roger Ebert directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Steve James

    Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired LIFE ITSELF, a documentary about the life of Roger Ebert directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Magnolia is eyeing a summer release, followed by an exclusive broadcast on CNN later this year, reprising a successful collaboration with CNN Films on the hit documentary Blackfish.

    Roger Ebert was a beloved national figure and arguably our best-known and most influential movie critic, and his passing in 2013 was deeply felt across the country. Based on his memoir of the same name, LIFE ITSELF recounts his fascinating and flawed journey—from politicized school newspaperman, to Chicago Sun-Times movie critic, to Pulitzer Prize winner, to television household name, to the miracle of finding love at 50, and finally his “third act” as a major voice on the Internet when he could no longer physically speak.

    “Magnolia is the perfect partner for bringing this film on such a seminal figure in film to the big screen,” said Steve James. “Roger’s story deserves it.”

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  • Rooftop Films Host NY Premiere of Roger Ebert Documentary LIFE ITSELF

    Director Steve James with Chaz Ebert Director Steve James with Chaz Ebert

    One week after its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, close to 200 people braved the inclement weather to attend the Rooftop Films and Piper-Heidsieck hosted  sneak preview of the new Roger Ebert documentary, “LIFE ITSELF” at The Paley Center for Media in New York City. On hand to see the screening were the late critic’s wife Chaz Ebert, Director Steve James, Actress Yael Stone (Orange Is The New Black), Director Alex Ross Perry, and indie actress Kate Lyn Shiel along with noted film critic A.O. Scott (The New York Times) who conducted a Q&A with Chaz, Steve and filmmaker Rahmin Bahrani.

    Roger Ebert documentary LIFE ITSELFRoger Ebert documentary LIFE ITSELF

    In 2013, we lost Roger Ebert—arguably the nation’s best-known and most influential movie critic. Based on his memoir of the same name, Life Itself recounts Ebert’s fascinating and flawed journey—from politicized school newspaperman, to Chicago Sun-Times movie critic, to Pulitzer Prize winner, to television household name, to the miracle of finding love at 50, and finally his “third act” as a major voice on the Internet when he could no longer physically speak. 

    Filmmaker Steve James masterfully uncovers the snags and strains hidden under Ebert’s prominence, including his battle with alcohol; his ongoing, sometimes ruthless, conflict with fellow critic Gene Siskel; and scorching debates among film critics about whether their television show reduced criticism to “consumer advice.” Ebert bridged high and low culture, defending film as a populist medium even as he championed films that challenged mainstream aesthetics and expectations. Insisting on bare honesty, Life Itself is as much a love letter to Ebert as it is an expression of Ebert’s own love—for his family, humanity in general, and, of course, the movies.  [ Sundance Film Festival ]

    Rooftop Films and Piper-Heidsieck-sponsored NYC premiere of LIFE ITSELF

    At the Q&A conducted after the Rooftop Films and Piper-Heidsieck-sponsored NYC premiere of LIFE ITSELF, Steve James shared that he originally thought “he’d just rip off the memoir,“ but that ultimately, the film isn’t really an adaption of the memoir – it’s more of a companion piece. While James leaned very heavily on Roger’s book, he also wanted to be sure to get things that weren’t focused on in the book, particularly his relationship to Gene Siskel which, as the film shows, was often competitive, contentious and challenging.

    Chaz EbertChaz Ebert

    When asked if she hesitated about allowing the cameras into this very intimate time in her life, Chaz explained, “I think that Steve did a beautiful job with the movie. I’m really glad it exists as a maintenance of Roger’s legacy…We are not reality TV people and didn’t want someone following us around all day every day but we trusted Steve.”

    indie actress Kate Lyn Shiel indie actress Kate Lyn Shiel

     

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  • Michael Tully’s PING PONG SUMMER from Sundance Film Festival to Get a Summer 2014 Release

    Michael Tully’s PING PONG SUMMER

    Michael Tully’s PING PONG SUMMER, considered one of the Sundance Film Festival’s biggest crowd-pleasers,has landed a deal with Gravitas Ventures. Gravitas plans to release PING PONG SUMMER theatrically and digitally early this summer, with a home video release later in 2014.

    Michael Tully’s PING PONG SUMMER

    Set during the summer of 1985 in Ocean City, Maryland, PING PONG SUMMER follows awkward 13-year-old Rad Miracle as he attempts to live up to that name by becoming a master breakdancer, ping pong player and ladies man all before the end of summer break. Based on his own childhood experiences (poor guy), writer-director Michael Tully’s (SEPTIEN, SILVER JEW) meticulous recreation of the characters, fashions and emotions that populate our teenage years proves that remembering perfectly is the best (and most hilarious) revenge.

    Michael Tully’s PING PONG SUMMER

    PING PONG SUMMER features what is described as a gut-busting and heart-tugging breakthrough performance from Marcello Conte as Rad Miracle, as well as hysterical supporting turns from Amy Sedaris (STRANGERS WITH CANDY), Judah Friedlander (30 ROCK) and Lea Thompson (summer of ’85s own BACK TO THE FUTURE). Rounding out the note-perfect cast is Academy Award winner (and co-owner of the SPiN ping-pong club empire) Susan Sarandon as Randi Jammer, the table tennis Miyagi to Rad’s Daniel-son.

    “I’ve been a fan of Gravitas Ventures since its inception, so when I heard the recent news about their venturing into the theatrical sphere I became quite excited,” said Tully. “In this tricky 21st century market, Gravitas has the intelligence, creativity, and enthusiasm to help make sure our 20th century movie gets seen. Not to mention their funky fresh addition of Dusty Smith to the Gravitas team, which further sealed the deal.”

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  • THE LUNCHBOX Sets Release Date; Opens February 28 in NY and LA

    the lunchbox collage2

    THE LUNCHBOX, winner of the Viewer’s Choice Award, Grand Rail d’Or, winner at the 2013 Critics’ Week at Cannes Film Festival will open February 28, 2014 in at the Lincon Plaza and Angelika Cinemas in New York, and also in Los Angeles.  Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, the film stars Irrfan Khan (“Life of Pi”), Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

    Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is a young middle class Mumbai housewife trying once again to add some spice to her marriage, this time through her cooking. She desperately hopes that this new recipe will finally arouse some kind of reaction from her neglectful husband. She prepares a special lunchbox to be delivered to him at work, but, it is mistakenly delivered to another office worker, Saajan (Irrfan Khan), a lonely man on the verge of retirement. Curious about the lack of reaction from her husband, Ila puts a little note in the following day’s lunchbox, in the hopes of getting to the bottom of the mystery.

    the lunchbox

    This begins a series of lunchbox notes between Saajan and Ila, and the mere comfort of communicating with a stranger anonymously soon evolves into an unexpected friendship. Gradually, their notes become little confessions about their loneliness, memories, regrets, fears, and even small joys. They each discover a new sense of self and find an anchor to hold on to in the big city of Mumbai that so often crushes hopes and dreams. Still strangers physically, Ila and Saajan become lost in a virtual relationship that could jeopardize both their realities.

    http://youtu.be/Qdn6nVJHyfM

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