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Every week, I get several press releases, screening invitations and other notifications from a handful of studio contacts. While I won’t be sharing any information regarding my screening invites, some of the press releases might be of interest to my readers, so I thought I’d start sharing them in toto with all of you. These could include new image galleries for various films or important updates to upcoming releases from various smaller studios and art house production companies.


Image Gallery: Act of Valor



Image Gallery: Immortals



Image Gallery: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas





Press Release: Holiday Preview

W.E.

(Weinstein Company)
Release Date: December 9, 2011
Director: Madonna
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Abbie Cornish, James Dโ€™Arcy, Oscar Isaac
Screenplay: Madonna and Alek Keshishian
Synopsis: Madonna’s W.E. is a beautifully crafted, passionate tale about the search for true love in the modern world, viewed through the prism of one of history’s most fabled romances. The year is 1998, and Manhattan is abuzz with anticipation about the upcoming auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But the auction is far more than a diversion for Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), a transplanted Southerner trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage. Transfixed by the exquisite artifacts of the Windsors’ lives, Wally becomes obsessed with the love story of Wallis Simspon (Andrea Riseborough), the chic, charismatic American who captured the heart of King Edward VIII (James D’Arcy). As she learns more about the sacrifices Wallis made in choosing to be with Edward, Wally finds the courage to follow her own heart and create her own happiness.

Another Happy Day

(Phase 4 Films)
Release Date: November 18th – NY & LA
Director: Sam Levinson
Screenplay: Sam Levinson
Synopsis: Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Thomas Haden Church, George Kennedy, Ellen Burstyn, Ezra Miller



We Need to Talk About Kevin

(Oscilloscope)
Release Date: December 9th โ€“ NY & LA one week engagement; January 27th 2012 โ€“ NY & LA; February 2012 โ€“ Wide Release
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller
Screenplay: Lynne Ramsay & Rory Stewart Kinnear
Synopsis: A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, Lynne Ramsayโ€™s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores the factious relationship between a mother and her son. Tilda Swinton, in a bracing, tour-de-force performance, plays the mother, Eva, as she contends for 15 years with the increasing malevolence of her first-born child, Kevin (Ezra Miller).

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores nature vs. nurture on a whole new level as Eva’s own culpability is measured against Kevin’s innate evilness. Ramsay’smasterful storytelling simultaneously combines a provocative moral ambiguity with a satisfying and compelling narrative, which builds to a chilling, unforgettable climax.



Rampart

(Millennium Entertainment)
Release Date: November 23rd – one week engagement; January 27th – National Release
Director: Oren Moverman
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Ice Cube, Ned Beatty, Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche, Brie Larson
Screenplay: James Ellroy & Oren Moverman
Synopsis: Los Angeles, 1999 – Officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) is a Vietnam vet and a Rampart Precinct cop, dedicated to doing โ€œthe peopleโ€™s dirty workโ€ and asserting his own code of justice, often blurring the lines between right and wrong to maintain his action-hero state of mind. When he gets caught on tape beating a suspect, he finds himself in a personal and emotional downward spiral as the consequences of his past sins and his refusal to change his ways in light of a department-wide corruption scandal seal his fate. Brown internalizes his fear, anguish and paranoia as his world, complete with two ex-wives who are sisters, two daughters, an aging mentor dispensing bad advice, investigators galore, and a series of seeminglyrandom women, starts making less and less sense. In the end, what is left is a human being stripped of all his pretense, machismo, chauvinism, arrogance, sexism, homophobia, racism, aggression, misanthropy; but is it enough to redeem him as a man?

Miss Bala

(Fox International Pictures)
Release Date: January 20th โ€“ NY & LA
Director: Gerardo Naranjo
Starring: Stephanie Sigman
Screenplay: Gerardo Naranjo, Mauricio Katz
Synopsis: MISS BALA tells thestory of Laura, a young woman whose aspirations of becoming a beauty queen turn against her, delivering her into the hands of a gang that’s terrorizing northern Mexico. Although Laura succeeds in winning the beauty queen crown, her experiences as an unwilling participant in Mexico’s violent war leave her shaken and transformed.

Press Release: My Week with Marilyn Website Launch

My Week with Marilyn

Press Release: 8th Annual South Asian International Film Festival Announces Line Up

8th Annual South Asian International Film Festival Announces Line Up Including 19 Premieres to run November 9-15

Festival offers first look at work from a new generation of emerging filmmakers



New York, NY, October 20, 2011 โ€“ Now in its 8th year, the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) will present the premieres of 19 exciting new films from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, all created by emerging talents and made outside the Indian studio system that often dominates production in the region. North Americaสผs premiere showcase for the best in new cinema from India and throughout South Asia, SAIFF will take place from November 9-15 at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), Auditorium on Broadway, located at 1871 Broadway at 62nd Street. This yearโ€™s bold line-up explores cultural taboos such as sexuality and corruption, as well as examinations of society in South Asia from diverse points of view. Featured as the opening night film is Indiaโ€™s selection for this yearโ€™s Academy Awardsยฎ, Abu, Son of Adam (Adaminte Makan Abu), the directorial debut by Salim Ahamed. The festival will also feature a Conversation Series with Shekhar Kapur (Bandit Queen, Elizabeth and The Four Feathers) on Saturday, November 12th at 2.30pm, during which he will discuss the evolution of his esteemed career from Bollywood actor to Hollywood director.

The jury for the Dramatic and Short Film competition sections consists of Richard Lorber, President & CEO of Kino Lorber, David Kwok, Director of Programming of the Tribeca Film Festival, Paul Rachman, Co-Founder and East Coast Director of the Slamdance Film Festival, Cindi Rowel, DVD Producer of New Yorker Films, Grady Hendrix, Co-Founder & Programmer of the New York Asian Film Festival and Mark DeFrancis, Head of Acquisitions of Indiepix Films. For full program information, schedules, tickets and press downloads, visit www.saiff.org




SAIFF Line Up

  • Abu, Son of Adam (Adaminte Makan Abu) by Salim Ahamed, India. Opening Night. North American Premiere.
  • Shakal Pe Mat Jaby Shubh Mukherjee, India. Centerpiece. World Premiere.
  • Love in Bihar (Jo Dooba So Paar)by Praveen Kumar, India. Closing Night. International Premiere.

Dramatic Competition

  • Corrode (Kshay) by Karan Gour, India. New York Premiere.
  • Alms of a Blind Horse (Anhey Ghorhey De Daan) by Gurvinder Singh, India. North American Premiere.
  • Temple (Deool) by Umesh Kulkarni, India. North American Premiere.
  • Greater Elephant by Srinivas Sunderrajan, India. World Premiere.
  • The Stagnant (Achal), Bikramjit Gupta, India. World Premiere.

Spectrum

  • The Golden Bird (Sonchidi) by Amit Dutta, India. North American Premiere.
  • Love, Wrinkle-Free by Sandeep Mohan, India. International Premiere.
  • Mayakkan Enna by Selvaraghavan, India. International Premiere.
  • Ballad of Rustom by Ajita Suchitra Veera, India. North American Premiere.
  • Ur My Jaan by Aron Govil, India. International Premiere.
  • Nobel Chor by Suman Ghosh, India. North American Premiere.

Short Film Competition

  • Good Morning by Kabir Singh Chowdhry, India. World Premiere.
  • Noise (Shor)by Neeraj Ghaywan, India. North American Premiere.
  • Sujata by Shlok Sharma, India. World Premiere.
  • Aakra-Man by Mihir Desai, India. International Premiere.
  • Kharoch by Chirag Arora, India. International Premiere.

The following talent will be in attendance at the festival: Salim Ahamed (dir. Abu, Son of Adam), Shubh Mukherjee (dir. Shakal Pe Mat Ja), Saurabh Shukla (actor, Shakal Pe Mat Ja), Praveen Kumar (dir. Love in Bihar), Rasika Dugal (actress, Corrode), Gurvinder Signh (dir. Alms of the Blind Horse), Umesh Kulkarni (dir. The Temple), Srinivas Sunderrajan (dir. Greater Elephant), Brikramjit Gupta (dir. The Stagnant), Sandeep Mohan (dir. Love, Wrinkle Free), Ajita Suchitra Veera (dir. Ballad of Rustom), Aron Govil (dir. Ur My Jaan). For interviews contact jmpverdant@earthlink.net.

About SAIFF

India is celebrated for its vibrant and prolific national cinema, producing over 1,000 studio films per year. In recent years, as a result of increased globalization and Indiaสผs rise as an economic powerhouse, Bollywood cinema has inspired a renewed interest and fascination from the West, as attested by the breakout success of such films as Bride and Prejudice, Monsoon Wedding and Slumdog Millionaire. Additionally, with the advent of a free market economy and the proliferation of the internet and cable television, Indian cinema itself has been influenced by a new exposure to Hollywood and other Western media, previously unavailable to Indian audiences. Now, neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh are following suit, delivering to the world a wealth of emerging talent from other parts of the region.

North Americaสผs premier showcase for the best of new Indian and South Asian cinema, SAIFF has an annual ground attendance of 15,000 guests and reaches a global online community of over 5 million people. SAIFF is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting Awards for films in Competition will be presented in the following juried categories: Grand Jury Award and Jury Award for feature films, Best Director and Best Short Film. Films in all sections are eligible for the Audience Award for Best Feature and Best Short Film.

Individual tickets for screenings are $15.00 each in advance (except panels, Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing nights) and may be purchased only online. Advance individual tickets will be available for purchase from October 21, 2011 through November 15, 2011, subject to availability. Ticket packages and Festival Passes will be available for purchase from October 28, 2011. Tickets may also be purchased at the on-site box office from November 9, 2011 to November 15, 2011. These tickets are cash only. Additional details and further information on the festival can be found at www.saiff.org.

Press Release: Paramyth Films Announces Cast for Biopic ‘A Green Story’

Independent production company, Paramyth Films has announced that Ed Oโ€™Ross, Shannon Elizabeth, Annabella Sciorra, George Finn and Alessandra Toressani will star in the upcoming film, A Green Story. Written and directed by Paramythโ€™s, Nika Agiashvili, A Green Story chronicles the life of Van Vlahakis, a Greek immigrant who arrived in America with only $22 in his pocket and eventually founded the multi-million dollarGreen company, Earth Friendly Products.

Oโ€™Ross stars as the modern day Vlahakis, who is misdiagnosed with cancer and given two months to live. During this time, he reflects on his early life as an immigrant during the1950โ€™s (played by Finn) and ultimately decides to push himself to the limit by closing one final business deal that will concretize his companyโ€™s success, even if he is not around to see it.

A Green Story begins production on November 3rdwith principal photography taking place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Crete, Greece. Agiashvili will produce alongside John Edward Lee, Chadwick Struck and Deanna Plascencia.

This marks the second feature for Agiashvili, who wrote and directed the feature film, 5 Nights in Hollywood, which he also produced alongside John Edward Lee and EP Jim Regan. 5 Nights In Hollywood releases nationwide in Wal-Mart, Blockbuster and Amazon on November 1st.

Located in Beverly Hills, Paramyth Films is a fully financed development and production company that produces story driven content for theatrical release and straight-to-DVD markets with budgets of $2M to $3M.

Elizabeth is represented by 5 Boroughs Entertainment, Don Buckwald & Associates/Fortitudeโ€™s Michael McConnell. Sciorra is represented by Framework Entertainment. Finn is represented by ICM and Luber Roklin Entertainmentโ€™s Lena Roklin and Mara Santino. Toressani is represented by UTA and Luber Roklin Entertainmentโ€™s Lena Roklin.

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