Zeitgeist & Kino Lorber To Handle North American Distribution On Ballet Doc ‘In Balanchine’s Classroom’

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of global and destructive hacks, including targeting banks and a movie studio, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.The newly unsealed indictment builds off an earlier criminal case brought in 2018 and adds two additional North Korean defendants.

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment have acquired North American rights to action-thriller SAS: Red Notice from Parabolic Pictures’ Laurence Malkin and former special-forces operator Andy McNab.

EXCLUSIVE: Samuel Goldwyn Film announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Casimir Nozkowski’s first feature film, The Outside Story. The film, starring Brian Tyree Henry, Sonequa Martin-Green, Sunita Mani and Olivia Edward, will premiere on-demand and digital on Apr. 30, 2021.

EXCLUSIVE: Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired North American rights to distribute writer/director Juan Martinez Vera’s Spiked. The pic will be produced by Per Melita. Aidan Quinn, Deirdre Lovejoy, Carlos Gomez, Danay Garcia, Wendy Makkena, Lovensky Jean-Baptiste, Walter Belenky. Sal Lopez, and Christopher Rich star in this indie feature drama. Joe Soldwedel and Brett Soldwedel serve as executive producers.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to the Chris McKim-directed documentary Wojnarowicz which is also known for its full, and for some, controversial title, Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F*cker. The documentary which spotlights the artist and activist David Wojnarowicz is produced by Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey for WOW Docs and by McKim for Hobo Camp Films and will have a theatrical release on March 19 followed by VOD release on Kino Now and home video.

Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” has arrived at something of a cultural tipping point for Hollywood. Months before the tragedy of George Floyd‘s death or the millions of people marching in the streets for social justice, his period piece about the assassination of a prominent Chicago community leader, Fred Hampton, had wrapped production.

EXCLUSIVE: Grindstone Entertainment has acquired North American rights to animated fantasy movie Mosley, whose voice cast includes Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars) and Rhys Darby (Jumanji).

Will Ferrell punches a world globe after learning a little tidbit about Norway in General Motors’ Super Bowl LV Commercial.

Kit Keenan has been on Bachelor Nation’s radar since she got out of the limo in a pink feather minidress and black lace-up boots, but her relationship with Matt James hasn’t been highlighted until the Monday, February 1, episode of The Bachelor.

Ed Meza @edmezavarNew York-based non-profit distributor Cinema Tropical has acquired North American rights to Brazilian documentary “My Darling Supermarket,” the debut feature by Tali Yankelevich.Cinema Tropical plans to release the film in virtual cinemas starting on Feb.

ABFF Ventures LLC has launched ABFF Comedy Festival, a spin-off of its long-running American Black Film Festival that is dedicated to supporting emerging Black and Brown comedians and comedy writers. Prolific producer Kenya Barris (Black-ish, Grown-ish, Black AF) will serve as the Ambassador for the inaugural comedy fest, which will be a virtual, five-day event that will stream live and pre-recorded content on ABFF Play streaming service from June 2-6.

Christopher Vourlias Shout! Studios has taken North American rights to the action thriller “Fire,” and Russian production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership has closed a host of other territories, the company announced during the Sundance Film Festival.Directed by Alexey Nuzhniy, “Fire” is a splashy, big-budget actioner about heroic smokejumpers racing against disaster. Since its Christmas Eve release, the film has grossed more than $10 million at the Russian box office.

EXCLUSIVE: Electric Entertainment, the LA-based production, distribution and post-production company, has acquired North American rights to crime-thriller Heavy, starring Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) and Daniel Zovatto (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels)

Also Read: 'Minari' Film Review: Steven Yeun Leads Charming Drama About Korean Transplants in 1980s Arkansas“Minari” composer Emile MosseriThe story’s universality made an impact on the score’s musical cues.“We didn’t want to have stylistic influences in the score in any sort of calculated way,” Mosseri explained. “There are some subtle ’80s elements baked into the orchestral tapestry of the sound, but we didn’t want to have an ’80s synth score.

Wavelength Productions has got on board a film about African American contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) for PBS' American Master series. Rita Coburn is set to direct Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands for PBS, while Wavelength’s founder and CEO Jenifer Westphal and president Joe Plummer will executive produce.