“…an illuminating look at one of the most provocative cultural icons of the twentieth century.”

-          Val Moses, The Denver Post

NORMAN MAILER

THE AMERICAN

AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON MAY 8, 2012

LOS ANGELES (April 17, 2012) – Two- time Pulitzer Prize winner, political candidate, journalist, movie director, and social critic are just a few of the titles that Norman Mailer holds. Mailer wrote over 30 books in his lifetime, married six times and had nine children. He died at the age of 84 on November 10, 2077. He lived a tumultuous life that has demarcated him as one of the most memorable iconoclasts of the last century. On May 8, 2012, Cinema Libre Studio will take you beyond the headlines and into the life of this complex man in NORMAN MAILER: THE AMERICAN, available on DVD and digital platforms.

NORMAN MAILER: THE AMERICAN, directed by Joseph Mantegna (THE PTOWN DIARIES), offers an intimate glimpse into the life of one of the most prolific writers of the 20th Century. Mailer truly left his mark on American history; both with his public works and his private sins. While attending Harvard, as an engineering student, he found his lifelong passion for writing. He is quoted saying “Why do I write? Why did I start to write? Because it was the only thing that I was good at and I wanted to be more attractive to the girls.” From there his relationship with writing and women began and they both equally gave him quite an infamous reputation.

Mailer is considered to be one of the original pioneer’s of creative non-fiction. After World War II, Mailer published his first book “The Naked and the Dead,” which documented his firsthand accounts from the war. The book was a New York Times best-seller and remained on the list for eleven weeks; it launched his professional career overnight and it continues to be one of the most influential American novels. In 1955, he along with Ed Fancher and Dan Wolf started a weekly newspaper called The Village Voice; it prompted a new, alternative way to cover news and is still in circulation today. Mailer went on to win the Pulitzer Prize, twice; the first for “Armies of the Night” in 1968 and the second for “The Executioners Song” in 1979. Not only did Mailer write about some of the most significant events and celebrated people in American History, including; Marilyn Monroe; the assassination of John F. Kennedy as well as Muhammad Ali’s fight against George Forman, but he helped define this momentous era for future generations.

Mailer was not afraid of controversy and some might say that he welcomed it. Alcohol, women and violence would often dictate his life and his writing. In 1960, he made headlines for stabbing his second wife, Adele Mailer, in the stomach with a knife. Adele kept her promise and did not press charges against him after they arrested for the violent act. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges of assault. Like this incident and many others in his life, Mailer ingested everything life dished him. He was a true American pioneer who lived the American dream and paved the way for so many aspiring writers and radicals.

SYNOPSIS:

A provocateur, a rebel, a performer and a true American, Norman Mailer never stopped giving people something to talk about. This documentary goes beyond the Mailer of the bookshelves and The New York Times best sellers list to the social critic, family man, filmmaker and lover. Here is a look into the life of a complex, intellectual, working class hero.

Born in Long Branch, NJ and growing up in Brooklyn NY, Mailer began his long career as a writer at Harvard University. He wrote over 30 books and covered every major event in U.S. history including: the Apollo 11 launch, the deaths of John F. Kennedy and his assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, the 1968 Democratic National Convention and subsequent riot, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement march on the Pentagon, Muhammad Ali and George Forman’s Rumble in the Jungle and many more. He not only wrote about these events, but he lived them. He delved into the lives and psyches of the famous and the infamous, from Marilyn Monroe to Hitler.

The documentary includes never before seen footage of Adele Morales Mailer’s startling revelations after being stabbed by her husband and also features footage and interview from wives and lovers, enemies and admirers, his children and the man himself.

More information can be found at www.normanmailertheamerican.com

DIGITAL ASSETS:

• Clips: http://vimeo.com/album/1917630
• High Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/NormanMailer_3D.jpg
• Low Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/NormanMailer_3D_LR.jpg

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE:

Cinema Libre Studio is a leader in distributing social-issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers.  Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, and Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com| Updates | Facebook | Twitter

MEDIA CONTACT:

For screener and interview requests contact: Cassie Brewer, cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

For screenings, grassroots and educational use contact: screening (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

For National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week
Shanti Generation and Move with Me Action Adventures Launch
Nationwide Campaign to Bring Yoga to Schools FREE

“Free Yoga Resources for Classrooms Project”
________________________________________________________________
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 7, 2012) – The first full week of May has been declared National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week by the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.The purpose of the week is to increase public awareness about the triumphs and challenges in children’s mental health and to emphasize the importance of family and youth involvement in the children’s mental health movement. Shanti Generation® and Move with Me ® Action Adventures, supported by Yoga-Recess ™, have launched a “Buy 1, Give 1“ program, similar to the TOMS™ shoe model, to bring yoga programs into public schools, FREE.

“Children with a wide range of mental health issues can benefit from the social-emotional learning (SEL) skills that basic yoga practice teaches including self-awareness and self regulation. We use simple techniques of conscious breathing, mindful awareness, stretching and centering postures to give children tangible tools for reducing stress,” says Abby Wills, a Southern California yoga instructor, who holds an MA in Education and has fifteen years of hands-on experience working in schools. She is the founder of Shanti Generation ™, a “youthcentric” yoga program created to help tweens and teens (ages 8 – 16) develop confidence and strength while cultivating inner peace and mindfulness, SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS.

The “Free Yoga Resources for Classrooms Project” was envisioned as a way to bring easy-to-use yoga curricula to educators from Pre-K – 12, at no charge. The project encourages public school teachers to register to receive a free DVD (plus educational license) of either SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS (middle and high schools) or MOVE WITH ME ACTION ADVENTURES (for pre-school and early elementary grades) and then solicits the yoga community to Buy 1 (or more copies of the DVD) in order to Give 1 to a school. “With ongoing budget cuts, most teachers can’t afford to purchase the educational license required to use these program in schools.” says Leah Kalish, MA, former Program Director of Yoga Ed. and founder of Move with Me ™ Action Adventures DVDs, which are designed to involve the whole child (ages 3 – 7), in social-emotional learning through yoga stories and pretend play.

Over the last 2 years, Yoga Recess ™ collected ten thousand requests from teachers wanting a FREE copy of the SHANTI GENERATION or MOVE WITH ME; however the cost involved in fulfilling those requests is prohibitive. “Now we just need the yoga community to step up,” says Wills. “Yoga has helped children with ADHD, Autism and chronic disease to stay physically healthy and mentally focused. It’s also an incredible antidote to the bullying epidemic that is confronting our children. “

“Our goal,” says Kalish, “is to have at least 600 units of both SHANTI and MOVE WITH ME purchased and delivered to teachers by the end of the 2012. Yoga practices give kids and teachers the tools and techniques they desperately need to manage stress, develop emotional intelligence and learn healthy self-regulation. This is our way to support the next generation in becoming well-balanced adults.”

DETAILS:

ABOUT SHANTI GENERATION & ABBY WILLS:
Shanti Generation ™ is a movement to empower youth with peacemaking skills to build a world that respects and celebrates difference on the way to discovering unity. We produce educational media experiences that bring ancient and modern practices to youth in relevant, innovative formats. Every step of our process is informed by youth input. Our programs are designed to reduce stress, increase resiliency and nurture mind/body health. www.shantigeneration.com

SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS, the first DVD in a series, merges yoga exercises and mindfulness techniques for youth ages 9 to 16. Developed by renowned youth yoga expert, Abby Wills, MA, and created in collaboration with teens, the program integrates a series of movements, breathing techniques and mindful practices that facilitate inner calm, positive attitude and a strong, healthy body. Exercises are demonstrated by Abby’s teenage students and set to positive grooves created by 311 bassist, Aaron Wills (aka P-Nut). Additional details found here: http://cinemalibrestudio.com/clsblog/2012/05/07/shanti-generation-yoga-skills-for-youth-peacemakers-available-now/

Program details for Middle and High School program: http://www.shantigeneration.com/buy-1-give-1

Teacher Registration: http://www.shantigeneration.com/teacher-registration

ABOUT MOVE WITH ME™ ACTION ADVENTURES:
Move with Me ™ Action Adventures DVDs are designed to involve the whole child (ages 3 – 7) in social-emotional learning through stories and pretend play. In the process of acting out a narrative through movement, children have the fun of “being” everything in the story – the lion, the rocket, the tree – while also building focus, stamina and coordination, improving early literacy and learning social-emotional skills, which are imbedded into the action and called Adventure Skills. These simple exercises, with cool names such as Monkey Wisdom and Ocean Breath, empower kids to calm, center and redirect themselves when upset, angry, frustrated, sad, scared or over-whelmed.

Program details for Grade School yoga: http://move-with-me.com/buy-1-give-1/buy-1-give-1-program

Teacher Registration: http://move-with-me.com/buy-1-give-1/buy-1-give-1-program

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO:Cinema Libre Studio is a leader in the distribution of issue oriented films and media programs. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY, Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER and Eva Longoria’s THE HARVEST/ LA COSECHA. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Updates | Facebook | Twitter |

For screener and interview requests contact: Cassie Brewer, Publicity Coordinator
Cinema Libre Studio, 818.349.8822, cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

SHANTI GENERATION:
YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”
-Mohandas Gandhi

MAKING YOGA EASILY ACCESSIBLE FOR TEACHERS, MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEENS AGES 7 – 16

Coming to DVD and Digital Download Platforms on November 8, 2011
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 17, 2011) – In the recent National Poll on Children’s Health conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, startling new health concerns are facing America’s youth. Drug abuse is now tied with childhood obesity as their #1 concern followed by: smoking and tobacco use, teen pregnancy, bullying, internet safety and stress. Bullying, in particular, has become a national concern following some recent youth suicides. Abby Wills, MA, with the help of young teens, has developed a transformational new yoga program, SHANTI GENERATION, created to help tweens and teens develop confidence and strength while cultivating inner peace and mindfulness. The first DVD in the series, ‘YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS,’ offers invaluable tools for children ages 7-16 and will be available November 8, 2011 on DVD at major retail outlets as well as its five digital “pathways” available on VOD platforms later in the month.

Yoga, practiced by nearly 14 million American adults, has developmental benefits for young people that can help develop self-confidence, combat obesity, and support academic achievement. Yoga has helped children with ADHD, Autism and chronic disease to stay physically healthy and mentally focused. Wills is a Southern California yoga instructor, who holds and MA in Education and has 15 years of hands-on experience working in schools. Her unique insights enable her to understand the specific needs of the educator and the day-to-day classroom experience as well as developing tools for a teacher without a yoga background, to attend to the students’ physical education requirements. She has developed an innovative yoga program created in tandem with seven Los Angeles teenagers and set to soothing music by Aaron Wills (aka P-Nut), the bassist of the rock band, 311. The result, SHANTI GENERATION, is making it easier to introduce the lifelong benefits of yoga into schools by making it classroom friendly.

“Shanti,” means peace in Sanskrit. In fact, says Wills, “We plan to build a movement by teaching young people peacemaking skills, to build a world that respects and celebrates differences in effort to create a culture of peace and unity. The yoga program we developed cultivates social and emotional learning, or SEL, through mindfulness practices including movement, breathing and meditation. Each practice is offered in a context directly relevant to the developmental needs of adolescent youth, unlike yoga DVDs created for adults or young kids. In particular, the program is designed to empower teens to cope with real life challenges, including bullying.”

SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS is a unique program for young people that:
• Speaks to Real Teens: The program was developed with the direct input of seven boys and girls who have worked with Wills creating a program that talks to and not at their peers. Unlike most yoga videos, boys as well as girls demonstrate the exercises in YOGA SKILL FOR PEACEMAKERS, rather than an instructor, while the teens’ multi-racial makeup is more reflective of modern America.
• Offers wide variety: Over 30 unique combinations can be accessed by “Choosing Your Path,” to combine poses, breathing exercises and meditations;
• Top quality production: Produced by Los Angeles production company WSR Creative, the video features an engaging set, high end production values, tightly edited program and a hip sound track that are guaranteed to capture the attention of young people as well as their parents;
• Serious SEL: Wills holds an MA in Education and has woven in SEL, social and emotional learning practices, into the program. SEL is a process for helping children (and adults) develop the fundamental skills for life effectiveness. These skills include recognizing and managing our emotions, developing caring and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and handling challenging situations constructively and ethically.
• Classroom Ready: Wills’ expertise as an educator allowed her to engineer thirty minute classroom-friendly segments. The program is designed for “non-yoga” people to utilize while incorporating simple language and avoiding confusion with Sanskrit terms.
• Global: Available with Spanish or Japanese narration.

Practitioners and teachers of yoga offer these insights:
“Offers yoga to young people in an engaging, cool way while still holding true to the integrity of the tradition of yoga. I recommend this DVD for anyone who wants to share the healing benefits of yoga with youth.” – Seane Corn, Internationally Celebrated Yoga Instructor

“Guides kids and teens to tap into their inner source of peaceful power and to pulse that energy outwards as agents of positive change in the world. This DVD offers young people a journey through the transformative practices of yoga in a luminous environment complete with rhythmic grooves and sacred tones.” – Shiva Rea, Top Selling Yoga DVD Instructor

“It’s hip, relevant, helpful as well as visually inspiring and appealing to use. The way the
Material is organized invites personal choice and multiples uses. I love that everything about it supports teens in more deeply connecting with and nurturing themselves.” – Leah Kalish, Founder, Yoga Playgrounds

SYNOPSIS:
SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS merges yoga exercises and mindfulness techniques for youth ages 7 to 16. Developed by renowned youth yoga expert, Abby Wills, MA, and created in collaboration with teens, the program integrates a series of movements, breathing techniques and practices that facilitate inner calm, positive attitude and a strong, healthy body. Practicing just two times per week cultivates body awareness, flexibility, concentration, stress reduction and self-expression. Exercises are demonstrated by Abby’s students and set to positive grooves created by 311 bassist, Aaron Wills (aka P-Nut).
http://www.shantigeneration.com | Facebook | Twitter

DVD FEATURES:
• Over 30 unique options for beginner and experienced yogis:
o 5 unique half-hour practice sequences: Creating Happiness, Energy Amplified, Choosing Peace, Being Sound and Voice Choice Possibility
o Library of Poses: 18 mini sequences for Focus, Energy and Calm
o Breathing Room: 5 sequences featuring stress management and self-regulation.
o Self-Connection Room: two mindful awareness practices.
• Interviews with the seven teen yoga students.
• Optional narration in Spanish and Japanese.

DIGITAL PATHWAYS AVAILABLE ON VOD:
Five segments, each between twenty to thirty minutes, will be available to purchase download or rent online on portals such as Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon as of mid-November. These pathways include:
1. Creating Happiness: Looking for happiness? Get flexible! Breathe and move your way into happiness with forward bends for flexibility. True happiness comes through shining health.
2. Energy Amplified: Balancing and core strengthening postures give you what no energy drink ever can: sustainable body energy to power your life. Get strong, be healthy.
3. Choosing Peace: Peace is a behavior you can choose at any moment, no matter what. Get your mind on board with your breath for a peaceful journey through standing poses, backbends and forward bends designed to empower you to find your own peace inside.
4. Being Sound: Twist, bend and relax your way to deep peace. To be sound is to be free and secure at the same time. Be vibrant and radiate peace.
5. Voice Choice Possibility: Take a moment to remember what you really want and fuel up on positive energy to make your dreams come true. Breathe, visualize and move the way you want to feel.

SRP: $16.95 | TRT: 90 minutes
Street Date: 11/08/11 | UPC: 881394114128
Catalog: CLS 1141 | Genre: Instructional/Yoga/Youth

Hi-Res DVD Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2011/ShantiGeneration_3D_HR.jpg
Low-Res DVD Bow Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2011/ShantiGeneration_3D_LR.jpg

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO: Cinema Libre Studio is a leader in the distribution of social-issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY, Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER and Eva Longoria’s THE HARVEST/ LA COSECHA. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Updates | Facebook | Twitter |

For screener and interview requests contact: Cassie Brewer, Publicity Coordinator
Cinema Libre Studio, 818.349.8822, cbrewer@cinemalibrestudio.com

Seven Riders. One Guru. The Adventure of A Lifetime

up to the Highest Pass in the Himalayas on Motorcycles

THE HIGHEST PASS

With Original Music by Jon Anderson of YES

Premiering in Los Angeles & Pasadena on April 27, 2012

_________________________________________________________________________________

LOS ANGELES (April 13, 2012) – Part heart-pounding adventure, part spiritual quest, THE HIGHEST PASS, a feature length documentary directed by Jon Fitzgerald, will premiere in Los Angeles at Laemmle theatres in Santa Monica and Pasadena starting April 27, 2012.   The award-winning film shares the journey of seven seekers who follow a guru with a Vedic death prophecy on a motorcycle trip up to the highest pass of the Indian Himalayas.  Jon Anderson, lead vocal for YES, wrote two original songs for the film including the title song, “The Highest Pass.”

A young guru, Anand Mehrotra, asks his followers to join him in India on a motorcycle journey that will begin in Rishikesh, the birthplace of yoga, and will end in the high mountain region of Ladakh.  Adam Schomer accepts the challenge, even though he’s never ridden a motorcycle and joins Mehrotra, who at twenty-seven bears a prophecy that he will die in an accident before the age of thirty. They are joined by five men including: Paul Greene (entrepreneur), Mike Owen (stuntman), Eric Braff (graphic designer), Brooks Hale (Broadway producer), Rich Parkerson (technology entrepreneur) and one woman, Ariana de Bonvoisin (author). Their expedition will take them 2000 km over some of the most dangerous roads in the world where they ultimately climb over the highest motorable mountain pass on Earth meet a Tibetan oracle. Each rider will face his or her  own form of ‘death.’ Says Schomer, “I don’t ride motorcycles, I think they are dangerous. So I just said ‘yes.’”

Schomer, who has his worst fears exposed in the film, is also the writer and producer.  He has been a student of Mehrotra’s Sattva yoga for three years. This is his first feature documentary production with a second documentary, WHEN THE DUST SETTLES, which takes a deep look into the effects of nuclear testing on the children of Kazakhstan, currently in post-production.

This is the second documentary for Fitzgerald (THE BACK NINE/Magnolia), the former festival director of the American Film Institute, Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Film Festival.  He is also one of the original founders of the Slamdance Film Festival.  Fitzgerald, who recently launched Cinecause.com, a web platform that connects socially relevant films to related causes, says of the experience, “I recognized how many obstacles we would face, challenges on every level, particularly from a production standpoint.  Yet, I also knew, selfishly, that I would grow as a person through the experience of being led by a modern yogi in the most spiritual places of India.“

Anderson, leader singer of YES, wrote two songs for the film (“The Highest Pass” and “Waking Up”) with composer Michael Mollura. Mollura’s work has been heard in HBO’s HOT COFFEE and CLIMATE REFUGEES.

The film won the Spotlight Award at Topanga and has also received the Audience Award at San Diego Film Festival and the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Naples International Film Festival.

Synopsis:

Adam Schomer meets a modern guru, Anand Mehrotra, and they plan a motorcycle expedition on some of the most dangerous roads in the world — the highest passes of the Himalayas in Northern India. They convince a team of seven intrepid souls to join them and share in what will surely become a journey of a lifetime. These riders are guided by the inspired teachings of Anand, who himself bears

the burden of a Vedic prophecy that predicts he will die in his late twenties in an accident. He is that age when he leads the group with fearlessness and wisdom reminding them that, “Only the ones who

dies, truly lives.” Over 21 days and up to an elevation of 18,000 feet along a winding road, they never let low oxygen, altitude sickness, river-flooded roads, icy edges, snow and loaded trucks dampen their spirits or, ultimately, their deeper selves.

www.thehighestpass.com | @thehighestpass | www.facebook.com/thehighestpass

Clips & trailer: http://vimeo.com/album/1810109

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE: Cinema Libre Studio is a leader in distributing social-issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers.  Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, Rachid Bouchareb’s LONDON RIVER and Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com| Updates | Facebook | Twitter .

###

DETAILS & CONTACTS:

THE HIGHEST PASS opens April 27, 2012 in Los Angeles at:

Laemmle’s Monica 4-plex

1332 2nd Street
Santa Monica, 90401
310-478-3836

www.laemmle.com

Daily @ 1:00, 3:00, 5:30, 7:45 & 10:15

• Q&A with filmmakers &  riders following Friday/Saturday 7:45pm show and Sunday 3:00pm

Laemmle’s Playhouse 7

673 East Colorado Blvd.

Pasadena, CA  91101

310.478.3836

www.laemmle.com

For screener or interviews, contact Beth Portello, bportello@cinemalibrestudio.com

**WORLD PREMERE – OPENING NIGHT FILM**

At SOHO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Narrated by Frank Langella

Opening Night Appearances by Producer Walter. T. Shaw with his friends Frank Vincent, Tony Danza and Mike Starr

________________________________________________________________________

LOS ANGELES (March 25, 2012) GENIUS ON HOLD is the story of inventor Walter L. Shaw, who had an astonishing list of 39 patents to his credit, including those for the hands-free speaker phone, call forwarding, conference calling, and even the White House “Red Phone” alert system.  His ground-breaking inventions would have garnered him lasting fame and fortune had it not been for one thing: the iron-fisted grip of Bell Telephone (aka AT&T).  A shocking tale of corporate skullduggery, mafia allegiances and jewelry heists, GENIUS ON HOLD is the story of one family’s rise and fall at the hands of corporate America. The documentary, which is narrated by Frank Langella and features original songs by The Kin, will premiere Friday, April 13^th at 5:30pm as the Opening Night Film at the Soho International Film Festival with SPECIAL GUESTS on the red carpet!

WALTER T. SHAW is the son of Walter L. Shaw, the inventor profiled in GENIUS ON HOLD.  Young Shaw, disillusioned by his father’s fate, joined the mob and became a notorious jewel thief, allegedly with the infamous Dinner Set Gang.  After doing time in prison, Walter T. Shaw has dedicated his life to setting the record straight, and transforming himself into a Hollywood movie producer to honor his father.  He has also written the memoir A License to Steal.  He is the producer of GENIUS ON HOLD, is featured in the film, and will be in attendance on April 13.

Director GREGORY MARQUETTE is a Canadian born writer/director based in Hollywood.  He is known for making historical figures come to life through his in-depth research and layered characterizations in films such as:  A License to Steal, Oba, The Last Samurai, and House of Churchill.  Innocence, with Connie Neilsen, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Frank Langella and Anne Archer, was his feature directorial debut in 2002.  He also directed the award-winning Vietnam short documentary,  A Legacy of War, featuring Oliver Stone and Ed Harris.  A strong visual director, Marquette’s work is punctuated with compelling visual style which he developed working at Boss Films, which was famous for such films as Cliffhanger, Alien, and Hunt For Red October.  He started his career as a broadcast reporter working on true crime stories and doing in depth investigative reporting for CTV.  He is a member of DGA and WGC.

Grammy-Award winning Aerosmith music producer JACK DOUGLAS is the film composer on GENIUS ON HOLD.   Douglas began his career at the legendary Record Plant Studios, where he worked with Miles Davis, Alice Cooper, Montrose, The Who, Patti Smith, Blue Öyster Cult, and many others.  He discovered Cheap Trick and was the engineer on John Lennon’s classic Imagine album.  He was working with Lennon and Yoko Ono on the Double Fantasy album (for which he won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year) when Lennon was shot. In recent years, he has worked with the Finnish glam-punk artist Michael Monroe (of Hanoi Rocks renown) on the Sensory Overdrive album, and he’ll be returning to the studio for Aerosmith’s eleventh album this summer as announced in the current Rolling Stone Magazine.  He is also working with Interscope artists’ The Kin (Issac Koren and Thorald Koren), an up-and-coming duo from Australia, who recorded the music for GENIUS ON HOLD.

ISSAC KOREN and THORALD KOREN, known as THE KIN, wrote and performed an original song, ‘For One More Day,’ for GENIUS ON HOLD as well as playing on the film’s score.  The Kin are widely considered to be one of New York City’s most promising up-and-coming acts. Led by Australia-born brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren, The Kin have already sold out at the Bowery Ballroom, Joe’s Pub, and the Mercury Lounge, have had their songs featured on multiple hit television shows, and played on tour with Rod Stewart. The brothers, each accomplished songwriters capable of playing multiple instruments, have forged a unique and audibly stunning performance. The duo released their third album, The Upside, in 2009 and was recently signed by Interscope.

Film Synopsis:

GENIUS ON HOLD is a tale about the American dream.  It is the story of one Walter L. Shaw—a brilliant inventor with an astonishing list of telecommunications patents to his name. His ground-breaking designs should have earned him great fortune and lasting fame, but for one thing—the power, greed, and oppression of AT&T, the largest, government-sanctioned, telecommunications monopoly in the United States which blocked him from realizing his dream. Punished, imprisoned, and eventually destitute, Shaw was drawn to the only organization that would reward him for his talent—the mob, whose bookies used his “black box” to evade the Feds.   His son, embittered by his father’s destruction, turned to organized crime to get back at the system that destroyed his family, but at a terrible price.

In an age of unfettered corporatism in which AT&T is once again conspiring to regain its monopolistic control of the industry, GENIUS ON HOLD is a cautionary tale about preserving the individual’s right to achieve the American Dream. www.ageniusonhold.com |Twitter @geniusonhold | http://www.facebook.com/GeniusonHold

• Promotional trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkxh4RdMDMY

• Koren Brothers’ original song and music video for the song “For One More Day”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bMSYSg443zo

SOHO Film Fest:

SOHOFilmFest honors cutting edge film technology and traditional forms of storytelling. It runs the week of April 13^th to the 20^th, and due to its meteoric growth in just three years, the festival has moved to a larger and historic venue, the Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema located at 143 East Houston Street. www.sohofilmfest.com or  follow on Twitter at @SOHOfilmfest.

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE: Cinema Libre Studio, a leader in distributing social issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers, is a haven for independent filmmakers offering a complete array of production and distribution resources. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films and is best known for releasing the award‐winning  films: OUTFOXED, UNCOVERED:THE WAR ON IRAQ, the the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL and the studio’s highly acclaimed production, THE END OF POVERTY?. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Updates | Facebook | Twitter

DETAILS:

GENIUS ON HOLD screens Friday, April 13 at 5:30pm:

SUNSHINE CINEMA

143 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002

Theatre #1

Tickets: https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Ticketing.aspx?TheatreID=256&MovieID=13406&ShowDate=4/13/2012&ScheduleID=79786&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Red carpet appearances start at TIME and include:

• Producer Walter. T Shaw with friend Frank Vincent (The Sopranos) and Tony Danza (Who’s The Boss) and Mike Starr (Goodfellas)
• Director Gregory Marquette
• The Koren Brothers and Jack Douglas

To attend the premiere screening as of GENIUS ON HOLD as media or to cover the red carpet, please contact Maria Prieto of THN Public Relations at 718-708-6524 or TheHispanicNetwork@gmail.com.

A SECOND KNOCK AT THE DOOR

A RARE GLIMPSE INTO THE EXPERIENCES OF MILITARY FAMILIES
WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES TO FRIENDLY FIRE

AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD MARCH 13, 2012
———————————————————————-
LOS ANGELES (February 15, 2012) – The term “friendly fire” evokes memories of Patrick Tillman, the American football star who left the NFL to join the United States Army after 9/11 and was subsequently killed in Afghanistan. The controversy behind Tillman’s death included the Army’s cover-up of friendly fire, which unleashed a media maelstrom as was told in the documentary THE TILLMAN STORY. For Christopher E. Grimes, then a graduate student planning his Master’s thesis in Public Policy at Northwestern University, the case provoked the question: how many other cases like Pat Tillman’s are there? The results of Grimes’ thesis research is the award-winning documentary feature A SECOND KNOCK AT THE DOOR, which shares the heart-breaking stories of four families who have lost loved ones due to friendly fire. On March 13, 2012, Cinema Libre Studio will release the film nationwide on DVD and digital platforms.

A SECOND KNOCK AT THE DOOR covers an issue that is taboo within military families and is under-reported by the media. The Army is usually not forthcoming with the facts in these cases, citing details lost to the “fog of war.” And in more cases than not, the victims’ families have had to find the information through their own investigations into the cause of death. The Army’s policy on informing the families of fallen soldiers is to “give them the truth, they best they know it and as fast as they can.” This was not the experience of the four families featured in the film that had to wade through red tape and wait between six months to a year to have the deaths confirmed as friendly fire only after repeated inquiries. The families of Sgt. Lee Todacheene (Farmington, NM, Navajo Nation), PFC Jesse Buryj (Canton, OH), PFC David Sharrett II (Oakton, VA) and SPC Wesley Wells (Libertyville, IL) open their homes and their hearts to share their stories of loss, betrayal and frustration. As Peggy Buryj, mother of PFC Buryj says in the film, “I gave them my son, and he served proudly. He didn’t deserve this. His family didn’t deserve this. I just want to know the truth.”

Grimes was compelled to make the film to share these stories after completing his degree program. This is the first documentary he directed sharing writing and producer responsibility with Jessica King. Says Grimes, “Finding hard statistics on friendly fire was more difficult than finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. This is not information that the military makes readily available to the families, press, or public at large.” Grimes research shows: Following the Gulf War I, where the number of deaths resulting from friendly fire accounted for 17% of US combat deaths, the Department of Defense completely revised casualty reporting procedures associated with friendly fire, requiring that the Army provide casualty information to the next of kin in an “accurate and timely manner” after a “reasonable suspicion of fratricide” is established. (SOURCE: Department of Defense Public Affairs, News Release (1991)

As of December 31, 2011, 4,580 Members of the US Army, National Guard and Army Reserves have been killed in the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. And many of their families had to wait.

This is the first feature length documentary for Grimes and his production company 5414 Productions, based in Chicago, IL and Washington D.C, with an exclusive focus on producing documentaries that deal with complex issues in public policy.

SYNOPSIS:
A SECOND KNOCK AT THE DOOR is an award-winning documentary that offers a rare glimpse into the lives of military families dealing with the loss of loved ones to friendly fire. Through interviews and investigative reports, this film explores key incidents that forced families of the fallen to embark on individual but integrally linked quests for the truth after the Army attempted to bury the truth within the “fog of war.”

Unwilling to allow these soldiers to be defined by their death, A SECOND KNOCK AT THE DOOR explores the men outside of their uniforms through the eyes of the communities that saw them not only as heroes but as sons, husbands, fathers, fiancés and friends.

More at www.asecondknockatthedoor.com | http://www.facebook.com/ASecondKnock | @secondknock

DVD DETAILS: SRP: $19.95 | TRT: 92 Minutes | Street Date: 3/13/12| UPC: 881394114623 | Catalog: CLS 1146 | Genre: Documentary

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Wesley Wells in an Interview with Filmmakers: A Discussion including segments from a story of a fallen soldier;
• A brief history on casualty reporting;
• Fog of War – A historical look at how the fog of war can cause friendly fire

DIGITAL ASSETS:
• Trailer: http://vimeo.com/35984174 & Embed/Download Clips: http://vimeo.com/album/1850728
• High Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/SecondKnock_3D_HR.jpg
• Low Res BoxArt: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/SecondKnock_3D_LR.jpg

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE:
Cinema Libre Studio a leader in the distribution of social issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers. The Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER, THE HARVEST/ LA COSECHA by executive producer Eva Longoria and Rachid Bouchareb’s DUST OF LIFE, LITTLE SENEGAL and LONDON RIVER, which is currently playing in U.S. theatres. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Facebook | Twitter

MEDIA CONTACT:
For screener and interview requests contact:
Cassie Brewer, cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

For screenings, grassroots and educational use contact:
screening (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

“Should Be Required Viewing for All Americans.”-Cinematical

SHADOW OF AFGHANISTAN: 1959 – 2012

Shadow of Afghanistan: 1959 - 2012 documentary film

FILMMAKERS’ QUEST FOR TRUTH IN A COUNTRY DESTROYED BY LIES

Available on DVD & digital platforms as of February 28, 2012

———————————————————————————————————————-

LOS ANGELES (February 21, 2012) – In the late 1980s, two documentary film crews began recording events not covered by the mainstream media in Afghanistan.  Two members from one of the crews were killed by Soviet forces. Twenty-six years and eighteen return trips later, the surviving directors, Academy Award ® nominees  Jim Burroughs and Suzanne Bauman, have crafted an epic saga of a country victimized by conflicting geo-political interests since the Cold War. The film serves as a testament and a comprehensive analysis of events– mostly overlooked by the mainstream news media–that have created the post 9/11 world in which we live.

“We have been struck by how little of the history behind the terrorist headlines is finding its way to American audiences. American television is seduced by the ever-changing present, but no insight comes without understanding the past. A history that is not understood is one that will come back to cast a long shadow,” says Burroughs.  “So, when the Obama Administration recently announced an ambitious withdrawal plan, just as they had announced their equally ambitious ‘surge’, they too demonstrate a lack of understanding of a complex situation that has been created over many decades, in part by the United States.”

Over 20 years Burroughs and team filmed in Afghanistan capturing key events and defining moments that contribute to the complex layering of political, cultural and religious dynamics that are lost in the blaring headlines on Terrorism.  These events include:  the Soviet occupation and the CIA’s financing of the Mujahedeen; the exile of five million refugees, perhaps a quarter of those maimed by Soviet mines and other ordnance; a violent civil war that followed on the heels of the Soviet withdrawal which saw the rise of regional warlords; the fatal alliance of the Taliban with al-Qaeda; invasions by United States and NATO forces; and in present day, a people still determined to survive.

The film was cut from a compilation of over 100 hours of film and video shot by Burroughs and a second, unaffiliated crew, led by Lee Shapiro.  Shapiro and his soundman, James Lindelof disappeared in 1987 as they were on their way to interview the legendary rebel leader Ahmed Shah Massoud. Massoud played a lead role in driving the Soviets out of the country and later went on to become a Foreign Minister under interim President Berhanuddin Rabbani, who pushed for democratic reforms while opposing the warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyer, and then the Taliban.  As seen in the film, Massoud was assassinated on September 10, 2001, in a pre-emptive strike to remove him from a position to lead a counter attack against the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks.

The experts in the film including Wakil Akbarzai, a Commander with the National Islamic Front, and Fatima Gailani, head of the Afghan Red Crescent, are interviewed over the course of twenty years, sharing their insights on how their country was eviscerated. In the film, Gailani explains, “It’s not just the United States. If it is a powerful person, if it is a powerful government, they like to feel things are easy.  They like to see things are instant – instant coffee, instant juice, and lots of instant.  I believe that most of the misery today we see in Afghanistan is because of that instant politics.”

“’Shadow of Afghanistan’ is an important film for the Muslim community, as well, since they are misunderstood by so many since 9/11,” says filmmaker Bauman. “The Afghan people may see the way out of terrorism more clearly than most. As Commander Wakil Akbarzai says in our film, ‘Your planes were hijacked. My country was hijacked too.’ Wakil’s nephew Abdullah reminds us: ‘There were no Afghans involved in 9/11.’”

An earlier cut of the film was selected by the Tribeca Film Festival, IDFA and New Zealand Documentary Film Festival. Burroughs’ companion book, “Blood on The Lens,” is a memoir of his experiences in Afghanistan and is about to go out in a new updated printing.  Additionally, Burroughs and Bauman have written extensively about their observations in Afghanistan in the Afghanistan Chronicles, hosted on Truthout.com

Burroughs has filmed on six continents documenting wars, expeditions and historical events.  He and Ms. Bauman were nominated for an Academy-Award ® for Cuban Odyssey and received an Oscar ® of Special Merit for the La Belle Epoque.  Separately and together they have produced films and television programs for PBS, ABC, A&E and Channel 4 UK. Together they produced Water Wars: When Drought, Flood And Greed Collide, also distributed by Cinema Libre Studio.

Synopsis:

This is the epic story of Afghanistan seen through the eyes of an Afghan warrior, independent filmmakers and a small group of independent journalists, two who died covering the story. The filmmakers spent more than 20 years documenting the Soviet occupation, the exile of millions of refugees maimed by Soviet mines, a violent civil war, the fatal alliance of the Taliban with al-Qaeda, the invasion by United States forces and people still determined to survive to this day.

Filmmakers Jim Burroughs and Suzanne Bauman have a wealth of footage from more than 20 years of following this story, as well as compelling footage from the 1950s and ‘60s showing life in Afghanistan before the war. The witnesses recall events and tell the story over time growing older through the film. The documentary serves as a testament to the true story of Afghanistan; one that is under represented on our airwaves.  No insight comes without understanding the past.  A history that is not understood is one that will come back to cast a long shadow.  Website: http://shadowofafghanistan.com/

BASICS- SHADOW OF AFGHANISTAN

Price: $19.95 | Street Date: 2/28/12

Languages: English and Arabic with subtitles | TRT: 90 minutes | Rating: Not Rated

DVD cat # CLS 2012  | UPC # 8139411502

Preview trailer: http://vimeo.com/album/1834963

Additional Clips Embed/View: http://vimeo.com/album/1834963

High Res box art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/ShadowOfA_3D_HR.jpg

About Cinema Libre Studio: Cinema Libre Studio is a leader in distributing social-issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers.  Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, and Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com| Updates | Facebook | Twitter .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Cassie Brewer

Cinema Libre Studio

cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

818.349.8822

“A well-drawn portrait of two lonely sould facing the shared possibility grievous loss.” - Stephen Holden, New York Times

FROM THE ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINATED DIRECTOR RACHID BOUCHAREB

LONDON RIVER 

Featuring the BAFTA Award Winning actress Brenda Blethyn and

Berlin Silver Bear performance by Sotigui Kouyaté

AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD PLATFORMS MARCH 6, 2012

LOS ANGELES (February 10, 2012) – After a national theatrical run, LONDON RIVER, directed by three time Academy Award® nominated director, Rachid Bouchareb (DAYS OF GLORY (Indigenes), OUTSIDE THE LAW (Hors La Loi) and DUST OF LIFE (Poussières de vie) will be available on DVD and digital download March 6, 2012. With powerful performances by Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyaté, this touching film tells the story of two parents looking for their respective children following the aftermath of the UK transit bombing’s.

Set against the backdrop of the July 7, 2005 terrorist attacks in London, LONDON RIVER follows

Elizabeth (BAFTA winner, Academy Award® nominee Brenda Blethyn) from a small farming community in Guernsey, as she travels to London in the immediate aftermath of the bombings after failing to hear from her daughter. Elizabeth is disturbed by the confusion of the metropolis and above all by the predominantly Muslim neighborhood where her daughter lived. Her fear and prejudice escalate when she discovers her daughter was converting to Islam and she keeps crossing paths with Ousmane (Silver Bear winner, Sotigui Kouyaté), a West African who has come from France to find his missing son. Although they come from very different backgrounds, Elizabeth and Ousmane share the same hope of finding their children alive. Putting aside their cultural differences, they give each other the strength to continue the search and maintain their faith in humanity.

The film was inspired by the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London when a series of coordinated suicide attacks, targeting civilians using the public transportation system during the morning rush- hour, disabled the city. Three bombs planted aboard the London Underground and a fourth on a double-decker bus exploded during rush- hour traffic, killing fifty- two people, as well as the four bombers, and wounding over 700 more. Following the explosions, the phone system became overloaded and the transportation systems were shut down, marooning Londoners from their relatives and making communication difficult. As seen in the film, kiosks popped up spontaneously across the city, where people posted “Missing” flyers seeking kin. The city, and world, were held hostage for the next two weeks as additional bomb threats were followed by police raids and large scale evacuations after which two additional bombs were deployed on July 21. To combat the rising tide of Islamaphobia, the British government set up a number of initiatives, including the “National Forum against extremism and Islamophobia.” There were also plans by the British government to ban incitement to “religious hatred”; however, this failed to get through the House of Commons.

Bouchareb, who says “all my films are concerned with the subject of meetings between different people, from different countries and different worlds,” shot LONDON RIVER on a small budget in 15 days. He wrote the screenplay specifically for Kouyaté and Blethyn, whom he had seen in Mike Leigh’s SECRETS AND LIES. “The event (7/7) is the starting point. My film is less about the bombings themselves and more about the meeting between these two characters that takes place in its wake. That’s what is important to me, that these two people who meet are united by the same problem, which is their desire to find their children. Events such as the attacks of 7/7 naturally divide people, but at the same time, they also bring them together. They need one another. People have to come together in the face of such crises. It’s an obligation.”

Bleythn has received two Academy Award® nominations, two SAG Award® nominations, two Emmy Award® nominations and three Golden Globe® Award nominations, winning one. She is perhaps best known in the States for her roles in SECRETS AND LIES, for which she won the BAFTA for Best Actress, as well as the big- budget features PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005) and ATONEMENT (2007). LONDON RIVER was released in the UK in July 2010, where Derek Malcolm of The Evening Standard said her performance was worthy of an “ovation.” The film premiered in 2009 at the Berlin International Film Festival.

French- speaking Kouyaté plays an African Muslim man working in France as an arborist. This was the final performance for Kouyaté who was a theatre legend, and who passed away in April 2010. A former professional footballer from Mali, he started his career on stage as a favor to a friend. He had a long association with UK theatre director Peter Brook and was the founder of the Mandeko Theatre in the Malian capital Bamako. Kouyaté, whose parents came from a long line of griots- or traditional storytellers- was also made an Officer of Arts and Letters by the French government at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. In an interview for the film, Kouyaté said, “It is a film about how we react to things, and this is what interests me. It teaches us that when you meet the other, don’t be scared to look them in the eye; for if you are brave enough to do so, you will finish by seeing yourself more clearly.”

Bouchareb, the Paris-born child of Algerian parents, has built a career making films that touch on issues of ethnicity, religious intolerance, displacement, kinship and community. His first film BATON ROUGE (1985) is the story of three poor Parisians who dream about a better life in America. CHEB, which won a special award after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991, is the story of a young Algerian expat, educated in Paris, who returns to Algeria to find he is no longer welcomed there. DUST OF LIFE (Poussieres De Vie) and LITTLE SENEGAL (both available for the first time on DVD and digital platforms in North America from Cinema Libre Studio) explore, respectively the bastard children of American soldiers in Vietnam and the pilgrimage of a slave museum tour guide from Africa who journeys to the United States in search of his relatives– whose ancestors were taken as slaves, the latter was filmed in the Senegalese community of Harlem in New York City.

Bouchareb has a long production partnership with producer Jean Brehat, with whom he founded 3B Productions in 1987, and together they have produced eight films, three of them receiving Oscar® nominations for Best Foreign Film.

SYNOPSIS:

Set against the backdrop of the July 7^th terrorist attacks in 2005, LONDON RIVER follows Elizabeth (BAFTA winner, Academy Award® nominee Brenda Blethyn) from a small farming community in Guernsey as she travels to London in the immediate aftermath of the bombings after failing to hear from her daughter. Elizabeth is disturbed by the confusion of the metropolis and above all, by the predominantly Muslim neighborhood where her daughter lived. Her fear and prejudice escalate when she discovers her daughter was converting to Islam as she keeps crossing paths with Ousmane (Berlin’s Silver Bear winner, Sotigui Kouyaté), a West African who has come from France to find his missing son. Although they come from very different backgrounds, Elizabeth and Osumane share the same hope of finding their children alive. Putting aside their cultural differences, they give each other the strength to continue the search and maintain their faith in humanity.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Website: www.londonriverthefilm.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook/LondonRiverUS

Twitter: @London_River

High Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/LondonRiver_3D_HR.jpg

Low Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/LondonRiver_3D_LR.jpg

Trailer: http://vimeo.com/28217949

Clips: http://vimeo.com/album/1739918

DVD DETAILS:

SRP: $24.95 | TRT: 88 Minutes | Street Date: 3/6/12

UPC: 881394112322 | Catalog: CLS 1123

Genre: Drama

EXTRAS:

Official Theatrical Trailer

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE:

Cinema Libre Studio is a leader in distributing social- issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award® Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, and Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best-selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. For more information and updates, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Updates | Facebook | Twitter

CONTACT:

For screener and interview requests contact:  Cassie Brewer, cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

For screenings, grassroots and educational use contact: screening (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

“It works beautifully on every level: cinematography, editing, music, emotion, a great blend of historical with contemporary film-clip footage, all seamlessly woven together by dialog in which only the players speak and not one word is wasted. What a wonderful accomplishment.”
– Peter Caranicas, Variety

NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY
LASZLO & VILMOS
TWO HEROES. ONE ROAD

“When it comes to Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, it’s clear that the American New Wave of the late 1960′s and early ’70s wouldn’t have flowered as it did without them.” – Leonard Maltin, Film Critic/ Historian

AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD PLATFORMS ON FEBRUARY 28, 2012
LOS ANGELES (January 26, 2012)- László Kovács, ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, life long friends, Hungarian refugees and revolutionary cinematographers, were true pioneers of their craft and what came to be known as the American New Wave. In 1956, they escaped from Hungary during the Soviet invasion and made their way to Hollywood to pursue their common dream to make movies. On February 28, 2012, Cinema Libre Studio will release James Chressanthis’ Emmy® Award-nominated NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO & VILMOS on DVD and digital platforms.

The film showcases the lives and careers of two men who “left one revolution behind only to create another,” says director and Emmy® nominated cinematographer James Chressanthis, ASC (FOUR MINUTES, LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND). In his feature debut NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO & VILMOS, chronicles the 50 plus years of friendship that Kovács and Zsigmond shared and the contributions they made to cinema. These two Hungarian film students fled Budapest when the Russian army brutally suppressed an uprising against the communist regime. They documented the brutal attack and carried the film across the border into Austria so the free world could see what happened. They thought life in Hollywood would be less complicated compared to what they had just endured, but to their dismay it was only the beginning of their struggles. They were rejected by various industry organizations and were told to come back when they learned English. In order to get jobs they had to make sacrifices, they even changed their names to William (Willie) and Leslie to make them easier for Americans to pronounce.

Kovács and Zsigmond began working in Hollywood on low budget horror and biker films while freelancing as photographers. They rose to prominence in the late 60s and 70s. Kovács’ breakthrough was in 1969 when he shot EASY RIDER, starring and directed by Dennis Hopper. The low budget film was nominated for two Academy Awards®. Kovács served as the director of photography on more than 70 motion pictures including; FIVE EASY PIECES, TARGETS, PAPER MOON, GHOSTBUSTERS, MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and MISS CONGENIALITY. In 2002, Kovács received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASC. He passed away in 2007 and is survived by his wife Audrey and his two daughters, Julianna and Nadia, who appear in the film.

Zsigmond earned his fame after shooting Robert Altman’s McCABE & MRS. MILLER, THE LONG GOODBYE and then later won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. Zsigmond’s body of work includes THE DEER HUNTER, THE RIVER and THE BLACK DAHLIA, all three of which he earned Academy Award nominations for. In 1999, Vilmos received the Lifetime Achievement award from the ASC and in 2003, the International Cinematographers Guild placed Zsigmond among the ten most influential cinematographers in history. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has screened at over thirty-five film festivals in twenty countries.

NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO & VILMOS pays homage to these accomplished cinematographers. Hollywood’s finest willingly donated their time and efforts to honor these two men who helped inspire them to create movies. The film features interviews with Hollywood’s top talent including; Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Peter Bogdanovich, Peter Fonda, Sharon Stone, Tatum O’Neal, Jon Voight, Haskell Wexler, Karen Black, John Williams and many more. Produced by Tony Frere, Zachary Kranzler and Kian Soleimanpour with Executive Producer Dr. David B. Kaminsky, the film was also created in part by two up-and-coming women in the industry: Editor Elisa Bonora and Cinematographer Anka Malatynska. Director James Chressanthis said, “This is truly an independent film and we received remarkable support from across the Hollywood community to bring their legendary story to a wider audience.”

SYNOPSIS:
They left one revolution behind only to create another. László Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond filmed and survived the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, immigrated in poverty to America, helped each other up the ladder out of the underbelly of Hollywood all the while holding onto their dreams. After ten years of no-budget toil, László’s camera broke Hollywood’s rules with EASY RIDER. Suddenly in demand, he recommended Vilmos to both Peter Fonda and Robert Altman where Zsigmond poured his “poetic realism” into THE HIRED HAND and MCCABE & MRS. MILLER. They were the go-to camera guys of the New Hollywood.

Among their 140 credits, Laszlo shot FIVE EASY PIECES, PAPER MOON, SHAMPOO, FRANCES, GHOSTBUSTERS and MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and Vilmos lensed SCARECROW, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS, CINDERELLA LIBERTY, THE ROSE, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, BLOW OUT, THE DEER HUNTER and HEAVEN’S GATE all the while elevating the visual style of our movies.

This film has many threads: social, political and artistic. It is a Cold War story, an American immigrant story and a glamorous, Hollywood success story where dreams do come true. This is an intimate portrait of two giants of modern image-making and their deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary. Two heroes. One road. www.laszloandvilmos.com | Facebook | Twitter

DVD DETAILS: SRP: $19.95 | TRT: 86 minutes | UPC: 881394114920 | Genre: Documentary

OVER 45 MINUTES OF DVD EXTRAS:
• The birth of EASY RIDER – A tribute to Dennis Hopper, featuring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Karen Black.
• Actor Master Class with Karen Black on EASY RIDER and FIVE EASY PIECES • Drugs on EASY RIDER with Peter Sorel
• Director of Master Class with Bob Rafelson on HEAD, EASY RIDER and FIVE EASY PIECES
• Peter Bogdanovich on László

DIGITAL ASSETS:
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCo54m3BYIs
Embed/Download Clips: http://vimeo.com/album/1815076
High Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/NoSubtitleNecessary_3D_HR.jpg
Low Res BoxArt: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/NoSubtitleNecessary_3D_LR.jpg

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE: Cinema Libre Studio a leader in the distribution of social issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers. The Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER, THE HARVEST/ LA COSECHA by executive producer Eva Longoria and Rachid Bouchareb’s DUST OF LIFE, LITTLE SENEGAL and LONDON RIVER, which is currently playing in U.S. theatres. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture. www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Updates | Facebook | Twitter

For screener and interview requests contact: Cassie Brewer, cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com
For screenings, grassroots and educational use contact: screening (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com

ETHOS: A TIME FOR CHANGE

“Our ethos is all that we currently hold to be true. It is what we act upon. It governs our manners, our business and our politics.”
-Howard Zinn, Author and Historian

ETHOS LIFTS THE LID ON OUR CORRUPT SYSTEM AND SHOWS US A SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL WAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.
—————————————————–
AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD STARTING FEBRUARY 7, 2012
LOS ANGELES (January 11, 2012) – The 2012 election year is underway, the presidential primaries are in full force, and the Occupy Movement seems like a thing of the past. The news media creates the impression that the public has a real choice between the two leading parties. You are allowed to choose either RED or BLUE, but in reality, the parties are the two sides of the same coin which is in the pocket of the corporate elite. On February 7, 2012 Cinema Libre Studio will release on DVD and digital download platforms ETHOS: A TIME FOR CHANGE, a documentary which dissolves the illusion that we live in a democracy.

Directed by filmmaker Pete McGrain and hosted by Academy Award® nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, ETHOS: A TIME FOR CHANGE explains how our country is controlled by some very wealthy families and not our chosen government. These families control the main pillars of our society which include; politics, corporations, banks and the media. The United States is framed as a democracy, suggesting that we the people govern our country and elect our officials, but the truth of that matter is that a democracy does not exist. Rather, the nation was designed to be a polyarchy, one that is ruled by many, those many being the key families. By structuring the country this way, it was premeditated that ultimately it would not matter who is in office because the people campaigning would be controlled and influenced by those controlling the money.

Those featured in the film include renowned historians such as Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Dissent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media), Chalmers Johnson (Blowback: The Sorrows of Empire), Howard Zinn (A People’s History of the United States), the CEO’s of massive corporations such as Goodyear and Interface, as well as filmmaker Michael Moore.

SYNOPSIS:

Hosted by the two-time Academy Award® nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, ETHOS: A TIME FOR CHANGE lifts the lid on a Pandora’s box of systemic issues that has proven to have a negative impact in every aspect of our lives. From the environment, our democracy and our personal liberty to conflicts of interest in politics and unregulated corporate power, we cannot change our system until we know how it works. From director and activist Pete McGrain, ETHOS: A TIME FOR CHANGE sheds light on how we can affect change. With interviews from influential thought-leaders including, author and activist Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Dissent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media), Chalmers Johnson (Blowback: The Sorrows of Empire), Oscar® winning documentarian Michael Moore and Howard Zinn (A People’s History of the United States) to name a few, ETHOS: A TIME FOR CHANGE will show you how to make meaningful and sustainable change in order to create a world where we can live harmoniously in a clean environment. www.ethosthemovie.com | Facebook | Twitter

DVD DETAILS:
SRP: $19.95 | TRT: 68 minutes | Street date: 2/7/12
UPC: 881394114524 | Catalog: CLS 1145
Genre: Documentary

DIGITAL ASSETS:
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwpf0xVCcL8
Embed/Download Clips: http://vimeo.com/album/1782479
High Res Box Art: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/Ethos_3D_HR.jpg
Low Res BoxArt: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/clscatalog/2012/Ethos_3D_LR.jpg

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE:

Cinema Libre Studio a leader in the distribution of social issue documentaries and features by passionate filmmakers. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Cinema Libre team has released over one hundred films including the Sundance Audience Award‐Winning FUEL, THE END OF POVERTY?, Oliver Stone’s SOUTH OF THE BORDER, THE HARVEST/ LA COSECHA by executive producer Eva Longoria and Rachid Bouchareb’s DUST OF LIFE, LITTLE SENEGAL and LONDON RIVER, which is currently playing in U.S. theatres. The studio is developing John Perkins’ best‐selling memoirs, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, into a major motion picture.
www.cinemalibrestudio.com | Updates | Facebook | Twitter

For screener and interview requests contact: Cassie Brewer, cbrewer (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com
For screenings, grassroots and educational use contact: screening (at) cinemalibrestudio (dot) com