Tag: Paladin

Lightning Entertainment Teams With Paladin To Release Horror Comedy THE REVENANT In U.S.

Worldwide rights holder Lightning Entertainment has struck a deal with notable New York-based independent distribution company Paladin to handle the theatrical release of the award-winning horror comedy THE REVENANT, it was announced today by Lightning president Robert Beaumont, and Paladin’s president Mark Urman.

Paladin plans to release the film theatrically in August in an initial 10 markets. That same day, the film will be available as a premium V.O.D., as part of an event driven day-and-date Ultra VOD bow through Lightning’s distribution arm, Lightning Media.

The DVD will be released through Lionsgate under Lightning Media’s on-going partnership with the company.

The deal with Paladin was negotiated by Lightning Entertainment’s Joseph Dickstein, SVP of acquisitions and Audrey Delaney, VP of acquisitions and business development, and Paladin’s Urman.

Starring David Anders (the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries”) and Chris Wylde (THE TEN), THE REVENANT is written and directed by acclaimed visual effects expert D. Kerry Prior (PHANTASM franchise, AIR FORCE ONE, STARSHIP TROOPERS).  Prior also produced the film along with Liam Finn (TRAINING DAY) and Jacques Thelemaque (MIDNIGHT MOVIE).

A horror comedy in the vein of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and ZOMBIELAND, THE REVENANT tells the story of a soldier and his slacker best friend who become zombies, and then use their newfound powers to become vigilante crime fighters with hilariously mixed results when their adventures become more complicated and bloody than expected.

A breakout hit on the film festival circuit, THE REVENANT has garnered exceptional reviews and won numerous awards including the Best Director and Audience Awards at Fantastic Fest and Zompire (the Undead Film Festival), and the Audience Award at CineVegas; and played to packed houses at top festivals like Sitges, the Brussels International Film Fest, and the Fantasia Film Festival.

“We are thrilled that THE REVENANT has found a theatrical home at Paladin,” said Beaumont. “Mark’s prowess in theatrical distribution, as well as his well-honed skills in the U.S. independent marketplace, ensures that this film will have a long and successful future.”

“Kerry’s film is an extremely clever and stylish take on zombie folklore, and the praise he garners from our theatrical release will almost certainly excite the genre’s fans and position him as a director to watch.  I look forward to collaborating with Lightning Entertainment on this project, and expect it will be the first of several we do together,” said Urman.

Lightning’s high profile sales slate at the recently concluded Cannes Film Market included the Liam Hemsworth starrer LOVE AND HONOR screening for the first time for international buyers; WHOLE LOTTA SOLE starring Brendan Fraser and directed by Oscar winner Terry George (HOTEL RWANDA) also making its market debut along with the star-studded comedy STRUCK BY LIGHTNING starring Glee’s Chris Colfer and Rebel Wilson; the comedy SERVITUDE starring Joe Dinicol (the CW’s The L.A. Complex); the Russian animated 3D film KIKORIKI: TEAM INVINCIBLE; the thrillers BLACK SOUTH-EASTER and ONE LAST LOOK; family film HEAVEN’S DOOR starring Charisma Carpenter (upcoming THE EXPENDABLES 2) and Joanna Cassidy (HBO’s Six Feet Under) and Australian sci-fi film, 25th REICH starring Jim Knobeloch, Dan Balcaban and Jak Wyld.  Lightning also debuted footage for the comedy THE HOT FLASHES directed by Susan Seidelman (DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN) starring Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, Virginia Madsen, Camryn Manheim and Wanda Sykes.

Paladin’s REVENANT deal with Lightning rounds out a particularly exciting chapter for the company that shepherded Tom Shadyac’s I AM to a $1.6 million gross, making it one of the surprise indie hits of last year.  Other recent Paladin releases include THE WHALE narrated and executive produced by Ryan Reynolds; the Sundance 2011 award-winner, CONNECTED; Seidelman’s “Musical Chairs,” Morgan Spurlock’s most recent documentary, “Mansome,” starring and executive produced by Jason Bateman and Will Arnett.  In current release is Oscar-nominee Taika Waititi’s prize-winning film, BOY, now in its fourth month in theaters having played nearly 100 engagements nationwide.

THE WHALE New Trailer & Poster

Check out the new trailer and poster for Paladin’s THE WHALE, a new documentary out September 16th, directed by Michael Parfit and Suzanne Chisholm, narrated by Ryan Reynolds (THE CHANGE-UP), and executive produced by Reynolds and Scarlet Johansson.

Synopsis:

Set on the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island and narrated by Ryan Reynolds, THE WHALE describes what happens when Luna, a baby orca, gets separated from his family and unexpectedly starts making contact with people along a scenic fjord called Nootka Sound. Because orcas are highly social creatures who spend their lives traveling with their pods, Luna attempts to find a surrogate family among the area residents, much to their delight. But as word spreads about Luna, people become torn between their love for the lonely young whale and fears that human contact might harm him.

Luna’s saga is seen through the eyes of the colorful characters who live and work along the Sound and who fall in love with the whale – including a cook on an old freighter, a fisheries officer conflicted by what he thinks Luna needs and what he is told to do, a grandmother who is arrested for petting Luna, and a Native American elder whose tribe believes Luna is the reincarnation of a chief.

The film also describes how Parfit and Chisholm, who first went to Nootka Sound on assignment for Smithsonian, grow so concerned about Luna’s fate that they get involved in trying to help him, crossing the traditional line between journalist and subject and becoming characters in the very story they are telling. Their efforts to find ways to safely give Luna the attention he seems so determined to get are a major part of the film’s climax.

Visit the official website: http://www.thewhalemovie.com/
“Like” it on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thewhalemovie

Running Time: 85 minutes. Rated “G” by the MPAA

ONE FALL Trailer

Watch the trailer for ONE FALL, a powerful story about a man (Marcus Dean Fuller) who is both blessed and cursed with an unusual power, all set in the rustic Mid-Western town of One Fall.

Synopsis:

ONE FALL tells the story of a man who miraculously survived a terrible fall from a spectacular 200 foot- high precipice that is the area’s major attraction. After recovering, he abruptly abandoned friends and family and disappeared without explanation. The secret he couldn’t share with them was that, while recovering, he had suddenly developed the power to heal others. Tired of running away, he returns home after a long absence and decides to use his gift – but not altruistically. If people pay him, he will cure them. Though he appears to be doing the right thing, he is doing it for for all the wrong reasons, and risks driving away anyone who ever loved or trusted him. As his moral crisis peaks, he must figure out why he survived his fall, and what he is really meant to do with his life.

Produced By Dean Silvers and Marlen Hecht (FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, SPANKING THE MONKEY), Fuller wrote the screenplay along with Richard Greenberg, and makes his feature directorial debut with ONE FALL. Paladin will release the indie drama into theaters on September 9, 2011.

“Like” the film on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/onefall. Follow it on Twitter: http://twitter.com/OneFallMovie

Paladin Takes THE WHALE With Ryan Reynolds As Narrator & Exec. Producer

PALADIN HAS ‘WHALE’ OF A TIME
in documentary about friendly orca

 New York, June 28, 2011 – THE WHALE, a new documentary about a lonely young killer whale who causes upheaval in a small town and amazement around the world when he tries to make friends with humans, will be released theatrically by Paladin, it was announced by company president, Mark Urman.

THE WHALE (http://www.thewhalemovie.com/) was directed by noted journalist Michael Parfit and veteran producer-cinematographer Suzanne Chisholm, who encountered the young orca whale, nicknamed Luna, at the height of his celebrity and spent several years chronicling his adventures both in print and on film.

Ryan Reynolds, who hails from the very region in Western Canada where the story unfolds, narrates the film and served as executive producer, along with Scarlett Johansson and Eric Desatnik. THE WHALE will play its first commercial engagements in late summer and expand in the fall.

Set on the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island, THE WHALE describes what happens when Luna, a baby orca, gets separated from his family and unexpectedly starts making contact with people along a scenic fjord called Nootka Sound. Because orcas are highly social creatures who spend their lives traveling with their pods, Luna attempts to find a surrogate family among the area residents, much to their delight. But as word spreads about Luna, people become torn between their love for the lonely young whale and fears that human contact might harm him.

Luna’s saga is seen through the eyes of the colorful characters who live and work along the Sound and who fall in love with the whale — including a cook on an old freighter, a fisheries officer conflicted by what he thinks Luna needs and what he is told to do, a grandmother who is arrested for petting Luna, and a Native American elder whose tribe believes Luna is the reincarnation of a chief.

The film also describes how Parfit and Chisholm themselves, who first went to Nootka Sound on assignment for Smithsonian, grow so concerned about Luna’s fate that they get involved in trying to help him, crossing the traditional line between journalist and subject and becoming characters in the very story they are telling. Their efforts to find ways to safely give Luna the attention he seems so determined to get are a major part of the film’s climax.

“THE WHALE is a wondrous experience,” said Urman. “It speaks volumes about our complex and ever-changing relationship with nature.  Michael and Suzanne have told this story so effectively that, while it has all the power of truth, it also has all the emotion and beauty of a perfect fable.”

“We’re thrilled to be releasing THE WHALE with Paladin,” said producer Chisholm. “The team’s experience and success is extraordinary, and we could not have found a better place for this movie.” Parfit adds: “Working with people like Ryan Reynolds on the narration, and Mark Urman and his team on distribution has been a great example of how collaborative film is. The fact that all of them love Luna as much as we do is wonderful.”

Parfit, an award-winning writer, director, and cinematographer, has authored four books, scripted two Imax films and has written many major articles for National Geographic  and Smithsonian magazines. A heavily illustrated feature, written by Parfit, about the couple’s adventures with Luna and how they brought the story to the big screen, appears in Smithsonian’s double summer issue, currently on stands.

The article is also on the Smithsonian website, here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Luna-A-Whale-to-Watch.html#.

Please visit THE WHALE on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thewhalemovie.

THE WHALE deal caps a particularly busy season for Paladin, following the highly successful release of Tom Shadyac’s “I Am,” which has grossed over $1.5 million, making it the highest grossing non-studio, non-3D documentary release of the year.  The company launches the award-winning “Love Etc.” on July 1st and recently announced the fall release of Tiffany Shlain’s Sundance favorite, “Connected.”  Also opening this summer for the company is Marcus Dean Fuller’s “One Fall,” and coming in autumn is Margaret Whitton’s romantic comedy, “A Bird of the Air.”