Press Release Archives - Page 2 of 5

Matt Waldeck’s Directorial Feature Film Debut “Lovely Jackson” has World Premiere at American Black Film Festival on June 17th.

Zodiac Features’ bold new biographical true crime DocuThriller, “Lovely Jackson”, the feature film directorial debut from filmmaker Matt Waldeck, p.g.a. (“I See You”) ahead of its world premiere at the iconic American Black Film Festival on June 17th.

A True Crime – In 1975 YOUNG RICKEY and his two friends are convicted of the robbery and murder of Harold Franks without any physical evidence and based largely on the coerced false eye-witness testimony of then 12-year-old neighborhood paperboy, YOUNG EDWARD VERNON. At just eighteen-years-old, Rickey is sentenced to die in the electric chair. He spends two and a half years on death row and sees a number of his fellow death row inmates complete the “Death Walk”, the name given by the condemned to the “last thirty steps of your life” before getting strapped in to ride the lighting and die. Rickey is just 82 days away from death by electrocution when miraculously, executions in Ohio are temporarily outlawed and all death sentences are commuted to life in prison. Rickey stays alive for now, but before him lay a different challenge—surviving general population in Ohio’s most dangerous prison.

Film Synopsis:

LOVELY JACKSON is exonerated prisoner Rickey Jackson’s daring first-hand account of the psychology of survival and spiritual fortitude required to withstand 39 years of wrongful incarceration for a murder he didn’t commit. At the time of his release in 2014, Rickey was the longest wrongfully incarcerated person in U.S. history—spending 39 years on death row and in Ohio’s most dangerous prisons after being convicted solely on the coerced eye-witness testimony of a 12-year-old neighborhood paper boy.

Lovely Jackson sees Rickey return to the prison where he was sent in 1976 on his way to the electric chair where he narrates and stars in reenactments alongside professional actors (one playing his younger self), and the (then) 12-year-old paper boy, now in his late 50’s.

Lovely Jackson is a boldly cinematic, epic journey that begins in tragedy, hopelessness, injustice, and death, but ends in hope, beauty, and new life.

“Lovely Jackson” is presented by H.E.L.P. in association with Zodiac Holdings and is a Zodiac Features production, directed by Matt Waldeck, written by Rickey Jackson and Matt Waldeck, producers are Rickey Jackson, Matt Waldeck, Ben Hecht (“I See You”), Travis Killian, and Jillian Wolstein, with music by Jacques Brautbar (“It Ain’t Over”),mcinematography by John Turk (“Madtown”), and editing by Mark Andrew Hamer (“The Hunting”) and Lori Lovoy-Goran (“Kid 90”).

Industryworks Studios Brings the Non-Stop Action Film “BULLET PROOF” to Cannes Marche Du Film Grindstone to Distribute in U. S. and Canada This Summer

Photo from ‘Bullet Proof’ Courtesy of IndustryWorks Studios

Genre: Action
Distributor: IndustryWorks Studios Inc.
Cast: Vinnie Jones, Lina Lecompte, James C. Clayton and Janvier Katabarwa as ‘The Frenchman’
Executive Producer: Evan Tylor, Annie Storey, Caterina Scrivano, Stan Wertlieb, Barry Brooker, Matthew Robert Kelly
Producer: Marc Petey, Jonnie Broi, James C. Clayton, Ryan Ennis, Paul Engstrom, Pieter Stathis, Ryan Petey, Zach Steele
Story by: Cooper Bibaud, Danny Mac, & James C. Clayton
Screenplay by: Cooper Bibaud & Danny Mac
Director: James C. Clayton
For screeners and more information during Cannes Film Festival; contact: Caterina Scrivano IndustryWorks Studios sales@industry-works.com

Social Media Handles
Website: industry-works.com |
Twitter:@IWPictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndustryWorksPictures/ Instagram: @industryworkspictures
For more information, interviews and photographs please contact: Annie Jeeves/Cinematic Red PR E: annie@cinematicredpr.com

In Bullet Proof, a thief who only looks out for number one pulls off the robbery of a lifetime when he robs the psychotic drug lord Temple. The plan goes off without a hitch until the thief discovers a stowaway in his getaway car: Temple’s wife, Mia. With Temple and his top hitman, the deadly and mysterious hitman The Frenchman, in hot pursuit, and torn between making a quick getaway or taking a risky detour to help Mia escape her husband’s abusive grasp, the thief finds the only way to get out alive is to drive.

Directed by James C. Clayton in his directorial debut, with a screenplay by Cooper Bibaud & Danny Mac and a story by Cooper Bibaud & Danny Mac & James C. Clayton, the film stars Vinnie Jones, Lina Lecompte, James C. Clayton, Janvier Katabarwa, Danny Mac, and Philip Granger.

“Bullet Proof has all the elements of a classic action movie and is sure to keep audiences at the edge of their seats,” said Evan Tylor, CEO of IndustryWorks Studios.

“When Caterina and Evan screened Bullet Proof for me, I was absolutely knocked out,” said Stan Wertlieb, Partner of Grindstone Entertainment Group. “With high octane, kickass action, Vinnie Jones delivers a classic evil performance. And James C. Clayton shows he has the chops as both an action star and director – he’ s a fantastic new presence on the scene.”.”

James C. Clayton, who directs and stars in the movie, said, “With Bullet Proof, I wanted to deliver a relentless, thrilling joy ride. And I could not have been more excited than to work with the great Vinnie Jones, who makes Temple even more terrifying than I’d imagined on the page. It’s so great to know that Grindstone will be bringing this movie to action audiences across the country this summer.”

ABOUT INDUSTRYWORKS STUDIOS

IndustryWorks Studios (“IWS”) is a feature film and tv production and distribution company under the direction of CEO Evan Tylor. He has successfully developed, produced, financed and distributed feature films, MOW’s and Original Series most notably Van Helsing for Netflix. As President & CEO Evan and the IndustryWorks label have been delivering high quality production and introducing emerging new talent consistently to audiences worldwide since the company’s inception in 2005. The Company develops, finances, produces and distributes Feature Films, MOW’s, Mini-Series and TV series.

IndustryWorks Studios continues to add to its vast growing catalog of films and series and remains one of the most active production and worldwide distribution companies in Canada.

Original content titles include feature film ‘Ripper’ (licensed to Lionsgate Films), ‘The Operative’, ‘Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber’ starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, produced for Bravo’s Oxygen Network, ‘Walk All Over Me’ starring Leelee Sobieski and Tricia Helfer and sold to The Weinstein Company, the critically acclaimed and controversial horror film ‘American Mary’ produced and sold to Universal Pictures, ‘Back to the Sea’, ‘Wrecker’, ‘Selfie From Hell’ (based on the YouTube viral sensation of the same name) and ‘AMI’ tech-horror film licensed to Netflix.

Pan African Film & Arts Festival Announces 2022 Jury and Programmers’ Awards

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s (PAFF) 30th edition concluded on Sunday, May 1st. Held both in person at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills 15 and XD and online, PAFF announced its 2022 juried film award winners during their annual Awards Brunch in Los Angeles on Monday, May 2nd. Three groups determined the winners: 1) an external panel of judges, 2) the PAFF Programmers, and 3) the audience. PAFF took place in Los Angeles from April 30-May 1, 2022.

“This year’s film roster reflects the times we are in,” said PAFF General Manager Asantewe Olatunji. “Many focus on social justice issues such as gender equality, police and community relations, and the changing lifestyle norms. Of course, several of the PAFF 2022 films focus on our well-known and sometimes obscure sheroes and heroes whose stories told by their own people give a new perspective of history and view of our world.”

Olatunji continued, “I predict this is just the beginning of the melting of the system’s iceberg that once limited access and the types of stories that are being told. Not only are these films Black films from the world over, but they are also films being made by Black women and LGBTQ+ filmmakers that authentically reflect their world. These are films by people who never had a seat at the table let alone a voice in the conversation.

"As programmers, myself and the other PAFF programmers are happy to be a part of this process of helping to shift the paradigm of what stories are told and by whom. To present these stories and provide access for both filmmakers and their audiences is a great privilege.”

The 2022 PAFF featured over 200 films from 55 countries, in 18 languages, including 58 World and 32 North American premieres. Of the films selected for the Festival, 46% were helmed by female, queer or non-binary filmmakers, and 80% were directed by filmmakers of African descent.

For additional information about PAFF visit paff.org.

2022 PAFF AWARD WINNERS

Jury Awards

Best Feature Narrative - Lingui, the Sacred Bonds (Chad) – Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Best First Feature Narrative - Queen of Glory (US) – Directed by Nana Mensah

Best Feature Documentary - Buddy Guy: the Blues Chase the Blues Away (US) -- Directed by Charles Todd & Devin Amar

Best First Feature Documentary - Africa and I (South Africa) -- Directed by Othmane Zolati & Chris Green

Best Short Narrative - Slow Pulse (US) – Directed by Marshall Tyler

Best Short Documentary - Cuba in Africa (Cuba/US) -- Directed by Negash Abdurahman

Programmers’ Awards

Programmers’ Award: Narrative Feature - Ayinla (Nigeria) – Directed by Tunde Kelani

Programmers’ Award: Documentary - Race Today (UK) -- Directed by Wayne G Saunders

Programmers’ Award: Short Narrative - 2 Eye Drops from Normal (US) -- Directed by Mora Carew

Programmers’ Award: Short Documentary - For Love & Legacy (US)--Directed by A.K. Sandhu

Audience Awards

Audience Favorite: Feature Narrative - Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story (US) -- Directed by Denise Dowse

Audience Favorite: Feature Documentary (tie) - The Dream Whisperer (US) – Directed by Eric Drath and Ferguson Rises (US) – Directed by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu

Audience Favorite: Short Narrative - Contraban (US) – Directed by Chelsea Hicks

Audience Favorite: Short Documentary - Crawford - The Man the South Forgot (US) – Directed by Carol Devoe

Ja’net Dubois Awards

Narrative - A Brother’s Whisper (US) -- Directed by Jacinto Taras Riddick

Documentary- Grandpa was an Emperor (US/Canada/Ethiopia/France/Germany/Jamaica/UK) -- Directed by Constance Marks

Festival Sponsors and Partners

PAFF is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell through the Department of Arts and Culture, LA Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, LA Councilmember Curren Price, LA Councilmember Herb Wesson, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s sponsors include Major Festival Sponsors: Stocker Street Creative, FX Networks, and Glassdoor.

Additional sponsors include: ALLBLK, University of Southern California (USC), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Showtime, Paramount+, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), Union Bank, Sony Pictures Entertainment, STARZ, Unilever (Dove), Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Los Angeles Lakers, Directors Guild of America, Motion Pictures Association, West Basin Municipal Water District, SAGindie, Water Replenishment District, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film & Television, 100 Black Men of Los Angeles, IKEA, Cinemark, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Warner Media, TV One.

About the Pan African Film Festival

Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. In addition, it is an Oscar qualifying festival for animation and live-action films, and one of the largest Black History Month events in America.

The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival Closing Night Screening TV One’s “STALKER”

Tanya Moore (Meta Golding) is a well-known Hollywood actress, who is tormented by a stalker, who calls her one night, telling her to search her soul and fix her past.

Tanya goes home to the house she grew up in, where her estranged younger sister Shelly (Tationna Bosier) is living; visiting his parents’ empty house next door is Tanya’s high school boyfriend Damon (Christian Keyes).

Tanya, Shelly and Damon are on a mission to figure out who is tormenting Tanya from a slew of suspects including a menacing cop, to Tanya’s ex or a married teacher that Tanya was involved with in high school.

“Stalker” is produced for TV One by Swirl Films, with Eric Tomosunas and Robert A. Boyd II, serving as Executive Producers. James Seppelfrick, Ron Robinson and Keith Neal serve as Producers for Swirl Films. Bobby Yan serves as Director for TV One, Jason Ryan and Robyn Greene Arrington are Executive Producers in Charge of Production, Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting and Susan Henry is Senior Director of Original Programming and Production.

WHAT:
Join the cast and producer of “Stalker” for an exclusive screening, followed by a Q&A, on the closing night of the 30^th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival

WHO:
Christian Keyes (Damon), Tationna Bosier (Shelly) and Keith Neal (producer).

WHEN:
Sunday, May 1, 2022

TIME:
Red Carpet: 6:00 pm PST
Program: 7:00 pm PST
Panel to follow directly after screening.

WHERE:
Pan African Film Festival
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD
4020 Marlton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90008

Basketball Legend Dick Barnett’s Long, Challenging, And Historic Journey to Get His College Team Inducted into The Hall Of Fame is the Subject of Inspiring New Documentary

Dick Barnett spent three seasons with the Lakers before helping the Knicks beat L.A. twice in the NBA finals.

In 1957, nine years before Texas Western's NCAA title victory over Kentucky, there was the Tennessee A&I (now known as Tennessee State University) Tigers. And while Texas Western became the first team to win the NCAA title with an all Black starting lineup, Tennessee A&I was the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to win a national championship tournament. Led by Hall of Fame coach John McLendon, and future NBA players Dick Barnett and John Barnhill, Tennessee A&I closed out the 1950s winning the NAIA Tournament in 1957, 1958, and 1959, the first college team, on any level, to win three consecutive national titles.

Fittingly, in the 65th anniversary year of the Tigers' first national championship of that historic run, comes the 2022 release of The Dream Whisperer (The Dream Whisperer Trailer - YouTube). Eleven years in the making, the documentary chronicles New York Knicks legend Dick Barnett's long and often frustrating journey to have his team recognized for its achievement at the highest level -- induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Dream Whisperer, which will first be playing the festival circuit, is a not only a homage to a historic team from a small HBCU school which won three consecutive national championships in the midst of segregation in the Jim Crow South, but a testament to Barnett's persistence and perseverance to make sure the Tigers' legacy would be honored and remembered.

"This is a story about the first college basketball team to win three consecutive national championships. A team that almost was lost to history until I decided to do something about it," said Barnett, who is now 85. "It's about a legacy that needs to be protected and passed on."

Narrated by Dr. Barnett, The Dream Whisperer features interviews with: John Thompson, Hall of Fame coach; Julius Erving, Hall of Fame NBA player; Walt Frazier, two-time NBA Champion; Bill Bradley, two-time NBA Champion; Phil Jackson, Hall of Fame coach; David Stern, Hall of Fame NBA Commissioner; Joanna McLendon, Coach McLendon's widow; Jim Satterwhite, Tennessee A&I championship team member; Harry Carlton, Tennessee A&I championship team member; Howard Gentry, former Tennessee State University Athletic Director; Dr. Harry Edwards, Civil Rights activist; John Doleva, President, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; and George Willis, sports journalist.

Barnett, known as the Skull during his college days, was selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the first round (No. 5 overall) of the 1959 NBA Draft. The Nationals made the playoffs in Barnett's first two years before he jumped to the American Basketball League in 1961, where he led the Cleveland Pipers, owned by George Steinbrenner, to the ABL title. Barnett and his Fall Back Baby jump shot returned to the NBA in 1962, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that made it to the NBA Championship Finals in two of the three years he played for them.

He was traded to the New York Knicks in 1965 and was a member of the 1970 and 1973 NBA Championship teams. The Knicks retired his No.12 jersey, which hangs in honor with those of his teammates inside Madison Square Garden. Barnett, who holds a master's degree in public administration from New York University and a PhD in education administration and supervision from Fordham University, continues to champion the battles for equity and social justice by telling his story, and the story of the courageous and talented Tennessee A&I team, on which he played, to students, of all ages, around the country.

The Dream Whisperer is executive produced by Ed Peskowitz, Penelope Peskowitz, Eric Drath, George Willis, and Grammy Award-winning hip hop producer 9th Wonder, produced by Danielle Naassana, Aaron Cohen, and directed by two-time Emmy winner Eric Drath.

The Dream Whisperer will have its world premiere at the 30th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival on Sat., Apr. 30th at 7 p.m. with Dick Barnett in attendance.

Tickets are available here.

Who: Pan African Film & Arts Festival and Dick Barnett

What: The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival

When: Saturday, April 30, 2022, Red Carpet at 6 p.m., Screening at 7 p.m., Q&A to follow screening

Where: Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD, 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008

PAFF30 is taking place in-person through May 1, 2022, at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The Festival will showcase nearly 200 films, as well as a slew of accompanying filmmaker Q&As and audience engagement opportunities. In addition, PAFF’s renowned Black art show will take place at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

For additional information about PAFF visit paff.org.

CAST OF ACCLAIMED FILM ‘SOUTH CENTRAL’ TO REUNITE FOR SPECIAL SCREENING OF FILM ON 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1992 CIVIL UNREST

South Central is a critically-acclaimed 1992 American crime-drama film, written and directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson. This film is an adaptation of the 1987 fictional novel, The Original South Central L.A. Crips by Donald Bakeer, a former high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles. The film stars Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Carl Lumbly, and Christian Coleman. South Central was produced by Oliver Stone and released by Warner Bros.

South Central tells the story of a man who is put into prison for 10 years. Coming out of prison he wants to live a normal life in South Central Los Angeles and stop with crime but his son has yet followed the criminal path of his father.

Who: Pan African Film & Arts Festival and Donald Bakeer, Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Carl Lumbly, and Christian Coleman.

What: The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival

When: Friday, April 29, 2022, Red Carpet at 8 p.m., Screening at 9:10 p.m., Q&A to follow screening.

Where: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD, 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008

For additional information about PAFF visit paff.org.

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Announces Kickoff of Yearlong 30th Celebration With Black History Month Retrospective Series

Virtual retrospective series to celebrate 30 years of PAFF Feb. 15-28 with ‘Best of PAFF’ Hybrid in-person and virtual festival still set for April in Los Angeles

Jimmy Jean-Louis in Rattlesnakes, which was shown at the 2019 Pan African Film Festival, is among the films to be screened during PAFF's Black History Month Retrospective Series

LOS ANGELES — The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), one of the largest Black History Month events in America and the largest Black film festival, will kick off its yearlong 30th celebration in February with the first of several specially curated blocks of the festival’s most fascinating, complex and most liked films over the past three decades. Throughout the festival’s 30-year history, PAFF has celebrated Black filmmakers and actors whose work has pushed the envelope in cinema in the US and abroad in Africa and other parts of the world. The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series kicks off with a Black History Month exhibition featuring nearly two dozen cinematic groundbreaking foreign and domestic films. The inaugural Best of PAFF Retrospective Series will take place virtually Feb. 15-28, 2022. Film listings, tickets, and passes are available at paff.org.

To celebrate PAFF’s 30-year milestone, the festival will continue its retrospective series in March highlighting Black female filmmakers and their films.

In addition, the 30th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival is slated to place April 19-May 1 after being postponed due to the rise of COVID cases in Los Angeles County. The hybrid festival of in-person and virtual screenings will take place in Los Angeles at its flagship venues the Directors Guild of America, Cinemark Baldwin Hills, and XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (8th District), Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price (9th District); the 10th Los Angeles City Council District; the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

About the Pan African Film Festival

PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. It is also one of America’s largest Black History Month events.

Find the Pan African Film Festival on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/paffnow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paffnow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paffnow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePanAfricanFilmFestival
The PAFF is generously supported by the City of Los Angeles, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Los Angeles Council District 10.

For more information, please contact press@paff.org.

STATEMENT FROM PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL ON THE DEATH OF SIR SIDNEY POITIER

Ayuko Babu and Sir Sidney Poitier at the 2002 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Ayuko Babu, co-founder and executive director of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), released the following statement about the death of the trailblazing actor, director, and activist Sir Sidney Poitier.

"Mr. Poitier was a loud voice letting the world know who we are when Jim Crow tried to muzzle us. He portrayed his people with dignity and integrity, setting a standard of consciousness in Hollywood that elevated the roles available to Black actors. His iconic films such as “Lilies of the Field,” "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," “To Sir, With Love,” and “In the Heat of the Night” opened the door for today's Black actors to demand roles that portray the Black experience with pride, and for that, we will always love him and be grateful. His life and work will continue to be an inspiration throughout generations. Our condolences to his family and loved ones. We all share in this tremendous loss.”

About the Pan African Film Festival

PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. It is also one of America’s largest Black History Month events.

Find the Pan African Film Festival on:

For more information, please contact press@paff.org.

Dennis Hopper’s OUT OF THE BLUE Regional Expansion

Director: Dennis Hopper
Starring: Linda Manz, Dennis Hopper, Sharon Farrell, Don Gordon, Raymond Burr

Dennis Hopper's OUT OF THE BLUE Regional Expansion including: Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, New Orleans and more.

Los Angeles: American Cinematheque - January 6th
Atlanta: Plaza Theatre - January 7th
New Orleans: Broad Theatre - January 7th
Toronto: Revue - January 28th
Chicago: Music Box - Late January, date TBD
Nashville: Belcourt Theatre - Late January, date TBD
Winnipeg: Winnipeg Cinematheque - February 1st
Seattle: Beacon Theatre - February 11th

OUT OF THE BLUE-Dennis Hopper (Jail Phone) (Photo Credit-Discovery Productions)

Presented by Chloë Sevigny & Natasha Lyonne

Official Selection: Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival.

"Thumbs Up! Bitter, unforgettable. An unsung treasure." - Roger Ebert

“In many ways, it’s maybe my best film.” - Dennis Hopper

“If a masterpiece comes along, people ought to see it.” -
Jack Nicholson

OUT OF THE BLUE- Linda Manz, Dennis Hopper (Punk) Photo Credit: Discovery Productions

Shocking. Controversial. Unforgettable. - Dennis Hopper’s brilliant punk rock masterpiece of adolescent rebellion is ready for a new, long overdue close-up!

A kind of spiritual sequel (and cautionary counterpoint) to Hopper’s own Easy Rider, OUT OF THE BLUE chronicles the idealism of the sixties decline into the hazy nihilism of the 1980’s.

Don Barnes (Dennis Hopper) is a truck driver in prison for drunkenly smashing his rig into a school bus. Linda Manz (Days of Heaven) plays Cebe, his daughter, a teen rebel obsessed with Elvis and The Sex Pistols. Her mother (Sharon Farrell) waitresses, shoots up drugs and takes refuge in the arms of other men. Cebe runs away to Vancouver’s punk scene and ends up on probation under the care of psychiatrist Raymond Burr. After Don’s release, the family struggles to re-connect before the revelation of dark secrets leads to a harrowing conclusion.

ABOUT DENNIS HOPPER: Born in Dodge City, Kansas, May 17,1936: Actor-director Dennis Hopper’s “Out of the Blue” premiered at Cannes in 1980. His directorial debut, “Easy Rider “(1969, Cannes Award “Best First Work,” was a countercultural landmark whose success helped spark the New Hollywood era of seventies filmmaking). His follow-up “The Last Movie” (1971) won the CIDALC Critics Prize Award at the Venice Film Festival. He went on to direct “Out of the Blue,"(1980) - Official Cannes selection; “Colors," (1988) “Backtrack,” (1990) and “The Hot Spot,” (1990). His 200+ acting roles include “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Giant,” “Mad Dog Morgan,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Hoosiers” (Academy Award nomination, Best Supporting Actor). Also a renowned photographer and artist, Hopper died in Los Angeles, May 29, 2010.

OUT OF THE BLUE- Linda Manz Photo Credit: Discovery Productions

FILM PRESERVATION

Working from the original 35mm negative restored by Discovery in 2010, John Alan Simon and Elizabeth Karr’s Discovery Productions undertook the digital scan and mastering of Out of the Blue to premiere as an official selection at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, preserving Hopper’s landmark film to make it available to new audiences.The New 4K restoration was shown for the first time on the big screen theatrically at Metrograph in November, 2021 in New York.

Despite critical acclaim at its original Cannes premiere in 1980, OUT OF THE BLUE went unreleased because it was considered too bleak for U.S. audiences.

John Alan Simon, then a film critic/journalist, rescued the film from the shelf, secured distribution rights and took it on the road with Dennis Hopper back in 1982 to art house theaters across the U.S. including a 17-week record-breaking run at the Coolidge Corner Cinema in Boston and then NYC and Los Angeles theatrical releases.

“It’s incredibly important to us that OUT OF THE BLUE be preserved for future generations to experience its emotional impact and as the artistic achievement that helped re-establish Dennis Hopper as an important American director,” commented Elizabeth Karr on behalf of Discovery Productions.

"For me, this restoration project was pay-back for all I learned from Dennis Hopper when we originally took OUT OF THE BLUE on the road in 1982 after I rescued it from the shelf. He was an amazing artist and friend and OUT OF THE BLUE remains as unforgettable as he was and serves as an indelible tribute to the talents of Linda Manz,” John Alan Simon from Discovery Productions concluded.

Chloë Sevigny and Natasha Lyonne came onboard as presenters for Discovery Productions’ OUT OF THE BLUE 4K restoration and 40th Anniversary Theatrical Re-release.

"Out Of The Blue" - what a great movie! Linda Manz in that movie, mama mia!” - Natasha Lyonne on NPR interview with Terry Gross

“I love actress Linda Manz! As Cebe in “Out of the Blue”, arguably one of the best teen characters ever portrayed on film.” - Chloë Sevigny (from her Instagram)

OUT OF THE BLUE- NEW 4K Restoration/ 40th Anniversary Trailer

OUT OF THE BLUE- Dennis Hopper (Whiskey) (Photo Credit: Discovery Productions

SOCIAL MEDIA and Website:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutOfTheBlueDennisHopper/

Twitter: @HopperMovieOOTB https://twitter.com/HopperMovieOOTB

IG: outofthebluefilm https://www.instagram.com/outofthebluefilm/

Web: www.outofthebluedennishopper.com

ABOUT DISCOVERY PRODUCTIONS

John Alan Simon and Elizabeth Karr are the nucleus of Discovery Productions, an indie writing/directing/producing team. Discovery’s development slate includes prestigious literary works from authors Philip K. Dick, Jim Thompson, Lucius Shepard and Ian Watson. The distribution arm of Discovery Productions has released independent films, including RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH, the adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Philip K. Dick, directed and adapted by John Alan Simon and Dennis Hopper’s OUT OF THE BLUE, currently embarking on its 4K digital restoration and 40th Anniversary re-release.

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES GOLDEN KEY AWARDS FOR SEAN BAKER, KODI SMIT-MCPHEE AND CLINT BENTLEY

AWARDS CONTENDERS “RED ROCKET,” “THE POWER OF THE DOG,” AND “JOCKEY” TO SCREEN AT FESTIVAL

2021 FESTIVAL RUNS NOVEMBER 17TH -21st

New York, NY- October 15, 2021 — The Key West Film Festival announced today the recipient of its annual Golden Key Awards, including two new awards honoring Emerging Talent and Breakthrough Florida director.

This year’s Golden Key Award for Excellence in Filmmaking goes to Sean Baker, director of Red Rocket, opening nationwide in December via A24. Baker will attend in person and participate in a discussion with Carlos Aguilar, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, The Wrap and RogerEbert.com, following the film’s screening. Baker’s film Starlet was featured in the first edition of the Key West Film Festival in 2012.

The inaugural Golden Key for Emerging Talent, given to actors who will be destined to grace our screens for years to come, will be presented to Kodi Smit-McPhee for his breakout role in the Netflix release of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which will screen at the festival just as it begins its national theatrical release. Aguilar will host a pre-recorded discussion with Smit-McPhee following the screening, which will serve as the Closing Night film. Smit-McPhee stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, and Kirsten Dunst in the film.

Another inaugural award- the Golden Key for Breakthrough Florida director, recognizing a Florida bred director whose films will be seen widely in the future – will be given to Clint Bentley. A Florida native, Bentley’s Jockey, starring Clifton Collins Jr, will be released by Sony Pictures Classics later this year. The award will be presented by former ESPN anchor Bob Ley following a screening of the film.

Filmmaker Sean Baker

Sean Baker is a writer, director, producer and editor who has made seven independent feature films over the course of the past two decades. His most recent film was the award-winning The Florida Project (2017) which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was released by A24 in the U.S. Among the many accolades the film received -- including an Oscar nomination for Willem Dafoe for Best Supporting Actor -- Sean was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle. His previous film Tangerine (2015) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won an Independent Spirit and two Gotham Awards. Starlet (2012) was the winner of the Robert Altman Independent Spirit Award and his previous two features, Take Out (2004) and Prince of Broadway (2008), were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award.

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Kodi Smit-McPhee is an Australian actor known for his critically acclaimed roles as The Boy in The Road, Owen in Let Me In, Norman Babcock in ParaNorman, Alexander in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, and the lead role in the prehistoric film Alpha. Upcoming roles include Jane Campion's much anticipated The Power Of The Dog, for which he is already generating major Oscar buzz for Best Supporting Actor.

Michael Tuckman, Director of Programming of the Key West Film Festival, "We are elated to present these two new awards to Kodi and Clint, whose work will continue to astound, amaze and inspire audiences for decades to come. Kodi’s performance in “Power” is one that immediately places him among the finest actors of his generation. Clint’s steady and intimate portrait of an aging jockey shows the work of director years beyond his directorial debut. Sean continues his mastery of telling the story of American lives, literally on the other side of the tracks, in Red Rocket as he has been doing since his award-winning “Take Out” first graced the screens.”

Visit kwfilmfest.com for full program information – which will be announced on October 19, along with a schedule of events and travel and lodging details.

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 17-21, 2021.

A diverse, entertaining and artistically rigorous selection of films will be represented through a broad array of categories that offer opportunities for filmmakers, both aspiring and established, to commune and exchange ideas while showing their work to audiences in an historic and artistically vibrant tropical paradise.

For more information, visit our website: https://kwfilmfest.com

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