Screen Media Films

  • Deadline: Screen Media Scales ‘Sugar Mountain’ – Cannes

    • Posted on 17th May
    • Category: Acquisition

    EXCLUSIVE: Screen Media Ventures has scooped rights to Sugar Mountain, an Alaska-set thriller starring Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes. The distributor plans a fourth-quarter theatrical and VOD release in North America and other territories including the UK and Australia.

    The Film Mode Entertainment pic, which premiered at the Cannes Film Market, follows two debt-ridden brothers who fake their disappearance in the Alaska wilderness so they’ll have a great survival story to sell. But the hoax turns out to be more real than they planned. Anna Hutchison, Melora Walters, Drew Roy and Haley Webb co-star in the film directed by Richard Gray from Abe Pegos’ script. Gray also produced alongside Virginia Kay, Michele Gray and Jamie Houge.

    “Richard is an emerging talent whose tight thriller really impressed us,” Said Seth Needle, SVP Worldwide Acquisitions for Screen Media Ventures. “Fans of the genre and Jason Momoa specifically should mark their calendar.”

  • DEADLINE: Michel Gondry’s ‘Microbe & Gasoline’ Acquired By Screen Media Films

    • Posted on 26th Apr
    • Category: Acquisition

    Screen Media Films has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Michel Gondry’s Microbe & Gasoline, which bowed at the 2015 New York Film Festival. A July 1 release is planned in New York (the Landmark Sunshine Cinema) and Los Angeles (the Nuart Theatre) ahead of a platform release.

    The StudioCanal pic is about two young friends who embark on a road trip across France in a vehicle they built themselves. Ange Dargent, Theophile Baquet and Audrey Tautou star. Georges Bermann is producer.

    StudioCanal SVP International Sales Aska Yamaguchi negotiated the deal with Screen Media SVP Worldwide Acquisitions Seth Needle on behalf of the filmmakers.

  • INDIEWIRE: Screen Media Films Falls For Romantic Anthology Collection 'Rio, I Love You' By Bryn Gelbart

    • Posted on 4th Feb
    • Category: Acquisition

    "Rio, I Love You" is the third feature in the "Cities of Love" trilogy.

    Screen Media Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights from WestEnd Films for the collaborative film "Rio, I Love You." The film is a spiritual sequel to “Paris Je t'Aime” and “New York I Love You” and the third in what is called the "Cities of Love" trilogy.

    The film is a collaboration of 10 short stories, all of which deal with love in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Each of the segments come from a different director. "Quando não há Mais Amor," for instance, is a one-man passion project for its writer, director and star John Turturro. Harvey Keitel stars in another one of the shorts as well.

    "We are pleased to be working with the team at Screen Media to bring 'Rio, I Love You’ to the U.S. market," said producer Joshua Skurla in an official statement. "The film offers the audience an opportunity to embrace Rio de Janeiro through the lens of some of the greatest filmmakers from around the world."

    "Being fans of the ‘Cities of Love’ series, we at Screen Media couldn’t be more excited to bring this beautiful film to American audiences, just in time for Rio’s big summer," added Tom Yagielski, Senior Vice President at Screen Media.

    "Rio, I Love You" will be in theaters on April 15.

  • DEADLINE: Screen Media Lands ‘Bad Hurt’ For February Bow; Magnolia Snaps Up ‘Shoot First: Harry Benson’

    • Posted on 5th Jan
    • Category: Acquisition

    Screen Media Films and Verdi Productions have acquired worldwide rights to Bad Hurt, Mark Kemble’s drama that premiered at Tribeca Bad Hurt last year. The film will hit theaters and VOD day-and-date on February 12. Bad Hurt chronicles a family’s hopeful battle to stay together as personal demons and destructive secrets threaten to rip them apart. Theo Rossi, Karen Allen, Michael Harney, Johnny Whitworth, Ashley Williams, Calvin Dutton and Iris Gilad star. Kemble and Jamieson Stern penned the screenplay for the pic, which is produced by Rossi, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Nick Koskoff, Nicholas Carmona, Jamieson Stern and Pamela Thur. Tom Archdeacon, Brian Arnott, Timothy Evan Jones, Patrick McErlean, Chad A. Verdi, and Michelle Verdi are the exec producers. Screen Media Films control the worldwide rights. The deal was negotiated by Seth Needle, Screen Media’s Director of Worldwide Acquisitions, and Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

  • DEADLINE: Screen Media Nabs TIFF Sci-Fi Pic ‘Zoom’ Starring Gael Garcia Bernal

    • Posted on 14th Dec
    • Category: Acquisition

    Screen Media has acquired U.S. rights to the Pedre Morelli-directed dimension-hopping sci-fi comedy Zoom, with plans to release it day and date sometime during Q3 2016. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Alison Pill, Jason Priestley and Tyler Labine, the partly animated, partly live action film sees three creative spirits — a comic book artist, a novelist, and a film director — who live in different realities but end up each writing a story about one of the others.

    The Rhombus Media and 02 Filmes Canada/Brazil co-production was written by Matt Hansen and produced by Niv Fichman and Andrea Barata Ribeiro. Zoom saw its world premiere at TIFF 2015. The deal was negotiated by Needle for Screen Media, with Gregory Chambet of WTFilms on behalf of the filmmakers.

  • THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Screen Media Takes Emma Watson Thriller 'Colonia' for U.S. (Exclusive) By Scott Roxborough

    • Posted on 4th Nov
    • Category: Acquisition

    Daniel Bruhl and Michael Nyqvist co-star in the drama, set in Chile during General Pinochet’s military coup of 1973.

    Screen Media Films has picked up U.S. rights to Colonia, a South American-set thriller featuring Harry Potter star Emma Watson and German actor Daniel Bruhl (Rush, Captain America: Civil War).

    Seth Needle, director of worldwide acquisitions, at Screen Media negotiated the deal with UTA Independent Film Group and Dirk Schurhoff of world sales outfit Beta Cinema on behalf of the filmmakers.

    Directed by Florian Gallenberger (John Rabe), Colonia is set in Chile in the 1970s, when General Augusto Pinochet seizes power in a brutal military coup. Bruhl and Watson play Daniel and Lena, a young German couple involved with anti-Pinochet protesters, get swept up in a wave of arrests following the coup. When Daniel is sent to a Christian cult for reeducation, Lena decides to go undercover, joining the cult to try and free him.

    Swedish star Michael Nyqvist (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) plays the cult leader Paul Schafer. The film is based on Schafer's real-life Colonia Dignidad cult, which operated for decades in cooperation with the Pinochet regime.

    "The incredible true story behind Colonia needed to be told," said Gallenberger. "I’m happy and proud that thanks to our outstanding cast a wide audience will not only see a gripping thriller, but also find out the truth about one of the darkest chapters of South American history."

    Colonia premiered in Toronto, where it generated strong buyer interest.

    In addition to the U.S. deal Beta inked sales for multiple territories, including France, Italy, Benelux, Scandinavia, South Korea, and Latin America.Berlin-based Majestic Film, which produced Colonia, will release the film in Germany.

    “It’s not often we see a film with the scale of Colonia come to market,” said Tom Yagielski, VP, domestic distribution at Screen Media. “The cast, led by Emma Watson and Daniel Bruhl’s stellar performances, is what drives the harrowing escape at the heart of the film. We can’t wait for audiences to be thrilled by Florian Gallenberger’s vision for these shocking true events.”

    Screen Media recently released the Ethan Hawke/Emile Hirsch-starrer Ten Thousand Saints and the mother-son comedy Ride, written, directed by and starring Helen Hunt, which premiered at AFM last year.

  • Frightpix Launches ‘Lloyd Kaufman Presents’ Streaming Collection

    • Posted on 27th Oct
    • Category: Popcornflix

    Frightpix, a free horror streaming app, is launching a selection of films curated by filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman, who is also the president of Troma Entertainment, the oldest independent movie studio in the world. The selection, titled “Lloyd Kaufman Presents,” is made up 20 of Kaufman’s favorite horror films available for free streaming on Frightpix on Roku, Xbox 360, mobile devices and the web.

    READ MORE: Indiewire’s Ultimate 2015 Halloween Streaming Guide

    Known for gory horror films rife with political commentary, Kaufman’s classics include “The Toxic Avenger,” “Class of Nuke ‘Em High” and, most recently, “Return to Nuke ‘Em High Vol. 1 & 2.” The curated series includes five films by Troma Entertainment, as well as 15 more of Kaufman’s favorite horror films. Each of the movies is prefaced by a personal video introduction given by Kaufman and “Toxie,” the director’s most famous monster.

    “We are extremely happy to provide a platform for Lloyd to introduce his personal favorite Frightpix films,” says David Fannon, Executive Vice President at Frightpix. “He brings a very critical, unique perspective to the horror genre. With his strong roots in independent cinema and gore horror, Lloyd is a perfect fit for Frightpix.”

    The genre will also have a limited run on Popcornflix, the free movie and TV streaming app affiliated with Frightpix.

  • Popcornflix Pacts with Breaking Glass Pictures for Indie Hits

    • Posted on 15th Oct
    • Category: Popcornflix

    Popcornflix™, the free movie and TV streaming app, today announced the addition of fifteen acclaimed independent films through an agreement with Breaking Glass Pictures.

    Among the new films is the universally-lauded Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways which depicts ten years in a relationship between a transgender woman and her conflicted lover. The film brought festival-juror Dolan the Queer Palm Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress for Suzanne Clement.

    Other highlights are gritty and naturalistic indie dramas. The selection includes Blackbird, about an alienated teenager posturing online threats won director Jason Buxton the best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, as well asColdwater, a depiction of a teenager struggling within a juvenile reform facility that was nominated for the SXSW Audience Award in 2013. Also included in the partnership are entertaining documentaries such as Pablo, centered around legendary graphic designerPablo Ferro and including interviews with Jeff Bridges, Angelica Huston, and Norman Lear, as well as independent films with up-and-coming stars such as the BAFTA-nominated Shifty, featuring a stellar performance by Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, the upcomingRogue One: A Star Wars Story).

    “We are very excited to launch some of our most powerful titles on Popcornflix,” says Michael Repsch, VP Sales & Distribution at Breaking Glass Pictures. “With such widespread availability, Popcornflix is an ideal partner to bring our quality films to a large audience.” Popcornflix is available on Roku, Sony PS3 and PS4, XBox One, XBox 360, Amazon Fire TV, the web, mobile devices and more.

    “These films are not only top quality entertainment, they also hit on the important issues of our time,” says David Fannon, Executive Vice President at Popcornflix. “The success of our critically beloved and award-winning films proves that there is a large, passionate audience for independent, acclaimed titles, and we are thrilled to introduce Breaking Glass’ collection to our platform.”

  • Popcornflix Adds INSPECTOR GADGET & More Popular Classic Kids Shows from DHX

    • Posted on 17th Sep
    • Category: Popcornflix

    Popcornflix, the free movie and TV streaming app, today announced the addition of popular, top-rated kids’ shows, including the classic Inspector Gadget, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Strawberry Shortcake.

    “Kids and young adults alike loveINSPECTOR GADGET and Sonic the Hedgehog,” said David Fannon, Executive Vice President at Popcornflix. “We are thrilled to make these shows available on Popcornflix. In addition, parents will remember series such as Strawberry Shortcake and Super Mario Bros from their own childhood and will love to share them with their kids.”

    The new content is now available on Popcornflix via Roku, Sony Playstation PS4 and PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs, the web and mobile devices. The shows are licensed by DHX Media Ltd., a leading family content production and distribution company.

    The addition includes the following popular animated series:

    Inspector Gadget
    A clumsy detective uses his built-in, hilariously malfunctioning bionic gadgets to battle his nemesis, arch-villain Dr. Claw, in this delightful show. INSPECTOR GADGET foils crimes and solves mysteries, aided by niece Penny and her highly intelligent dog, Brain.

    Sonic the Hedgehog and The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
    In a series inspired by the wildly popular video game character, this program follows the exploits of a speedy blue hedgehog as he and his friends battle the evil genius Dr. Eggman, who plans to take over the world.

    The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
    An animated series that brings one of the most popular video game worlds ever to life, this show stars Mario and his brother Luigi and their friends Princess Toadstool and Toad as they fend off the arch-enemies of the Mushroom World, King Koopa and his Koopalings. (Also available in Canada)

    The Legend of Zelda
    Also based on an incredibly popular video game, this animated series features the exploits of Princess Zelda, who is skilled with a bow and arrows, as she fights alongside her friend Link to battle the evil wizard Ganon and his minions and protect the KINGDOM of Hyrule. (Also available in Canada)

    The Adventures of Paddington Bear
    Based on the popular children’s books, this series follows the misadventures of a charming, globe-trotting, marmalade-loving bear who is rescued by a kind family at Paddington Station after traveling as a stowaway to London from Peru.

    Strawberry Shortcake
    Originally inspired by a popular line of greeting cards, this classic kids’ show follows the adventures of Strawberry Shortcake, who lives in a giant strawberry with Custard the Cat, plus her pals Huckleberry Pie, Peppermint Fizz and other sweet friends. (Also available in Canada)

    Horseland
    Horseland follows four horses and four horse lovers in a place called Horseland, a riding school and stable and is especially fit for young teenage viewers. The comedic adventures include other ANIMAL friends, including a wise dog, a trouble-loving cat and a good-natured pot-bellied pig. (Also available in Canada)

    UMIGO
    These educational videos help elementary school-aged kids learn basic math concepts and develop problem-solving and reasoning skills by watching the adventures of fun, colorful characters who make kids laugh while they learn something new. (Also available in Canada)

    In addition, Popcornflix and Popcornflix Kids have expanded their kids’ content library in Canada with four more series licensed by DHX. The New Adventures of Madeline, Sabrina: The Animated Series, Care Bears as well as the first three seasons of The Busy World of Richard Scary are available in Canada as well.

  • Popcornflix App Downloaded 15 Million Times

    • Posted on 20th Jul
    • Category: Popcornflix

    Popcornflix, the ad-supported streaming service from Screen Media Ventures, July 7 announced that it’s free app has been downloaded 15 million times — up 50% from the beginning of the year.

    Popcornflix is available on Roku, Sony PlayStation 3 and PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Android, as well as Smart TVs and in 61 different countries.

    “This proves … that the ad-supported [OTT video business] model works,” David Fannon, EVP at Popcornflix, said in a statement.

    The Popcornflix library includes more than 3,000 titles within a variety of genres, ranging from action and comedy to award-winning foreign films, TV series, National Geographic documentaries, classic cartoons and the recently added extreme sports category. Films feature actors such as Channing Tatum in the action-drama Battle in Seattle, Chris Pratt in the comedy Deep in the Valley, and Charlize Theron in her Oscar-winning performance in Monster, among others.

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