Public Selects Official Movie Poster For PARIAH

DEBUT FEATURE FROM WRITER/DIRECTOR DEE REES,
EXECUTIVE-PRODUCED BY SPIKE LEE;
RELEASE DATE FOR MOVIE ALSO SET

NEW YORK, September 6th, 2011 – Following an online outreach, Focus Features has revealed the moviegoing public’s choice of the official theatrical release poster for the contemporary drama Pariah, written and directed by Dee Rees.

Pariah world-premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it was honored with the Excellence in Cinematography Award (Bradford Young). Spike Lee is among the feature’s executive producers. Pariah is produced by Nekisa Cooper.

With the public having now selected the Pariah one-sheet, Focus is also announcing the movie’s theatrical release information. Pariah will open in exclusive engagements in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco on Sunday, December 25th; and will expand to additional cities throughout the winter. The movie will also screen on Monday, September 12th at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Pariah has already received critical acclaim. A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, “To watch Adepero Oduye…is to experience the thrill of discovery.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone cited “Dee Rees’ wonderful Pariah” as one of his “personal faves” at Sundance.

A rousing success at its Sundance world premiere, this deeply felt human drama is the feature debut for Ms. Rees. Adepero Oduye portrays Alike (pronounced “ah-lee-kay”), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. A gifted student, Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the support of her best friend Laura (Pernell Walker), she is especially eager to find a girlfriend. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity.

Focus Features vice president, new media Nicole Butte commented, “Focus and the Pariah filmmakers wanted to give those filmgoers who are looking forward to Pariah a voice, and to invite them into the creative process. We’re pleased to announce that the poster the public voted for – out of five contenders – is ‘Subway.’ It will now go out online and into theaters as our official one-sheet poster for the movie’s winter release.”

Ms. Rees added, “When Focus came to Nekisa and me with the five potential posters, we were hard-pressed to pick a favorite. Since we made Pariah to open up a dialogue with everybody, it was ideal that people got to make their voices heard and choose our one-sheet. I’m looking forward to keeping the conversation going with the movie’s release.”

The runner-up posters to “Subway” were “Rooftop,” “Profile,” “Brush Stroke,” and “Title Block.” Voting polls opened in July exclusively through the movie’s official Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/PariahTheMovie, and closed in August.

In addition to Mr. Lee, the executive producers of Pariah are Jeff Robinson, Sam Martin, Mary Jane Skalski, Susan Lewis, Ann Bradley, Stefan Nowicki, Benjamin Weber, Joey Carey, Julie Parker Benello, Judith Hefland, Wendy Ettinger, Douglas A. Eisenberg, Matthew J. Simon, and Jeanine McLean.

Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.

In addition to Pariah, current and upcoming Focus releases include John Madden’s espionage thriller The Debt, which is currently #2 at the U.S. box office; Lone Scherfig’s romance One Day, based on the bestselling novel, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess; the untitled film written and directed by Paul Weitz and starring two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro and Paul Dano; Lorene Scafaria’s pre-apocalyptic comedic romance Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley; Moonrise Kingdom, the new feature from Wes Anderson, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman; Sam Fell and Chris Butler’s ParaNorman, the new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA; the historical tale Hyde Park on Hudson, directed by Roger Michell and starring Academy Award nominees Bill Murray and Laura Linney; and Tomas Alfredson’s thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy.

Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.