DRAFTHOUSE FILMS ARRIVES AT SUNDANCE WINNER, 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH. Inventive Portrait of Rock Music Icon Nick Cave To Hit Theaters in 2014
Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, announced today the acquisition from HanWay Films of North American rights to Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard's inventive, lyrical ode to creativity, 20,000 Days On Earth, featuring musician and cultural icon Nick Cave. Fusing drama and reality by weaving the journey of a fictional day in Cave's life, the film is an intimate portrayal of the artistic process. The film made its World Premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded both "Best Directing" and "Best Editing" Awards in the World Cinema Documentary category and receives its European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. It is the debut directorial feature film by visual artists Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard and is set to an original score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. 20,000 Days on Earth is a Pulse Films / JW Films production, produced by James Wilson and Dan Bowen with the support of Film4, Corniche Pictures & the BFI. A theatrical release is planned for 2014.
"I've always liked their unorthodox approach to things" says Cave, of the filmmakers. He invited Forsyth and Pollard to film the early stages of writing his 2013 album "Push The Sky Away". They knew it was an unmissable, unique opportunity and started filming, without a plan for what the footage might become. With unprecedented access they began to capture extraordinary moments of Cave's creative process. Next, Cave agreed to hand over his notebooks, which proved fertile ground for the filmmakers. "We were able to trace the transformation of his ideas," says Forsyth. "We found disparate phrases which instantly sparked ideas that excited us. This included a calculation to work out how many days he had been alive on the day they started recording the album, next to the unusually coined phrase '20,000 days on earth.'" Pollard adds, "We began to work with the idea of what makes us who we are and what we do with our time on earth." The phrase eventually spawned the opening line of the film and the pair resolved to structure the film around a fictional narrative of his 20,000th day.
The film thus far received high praise including Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.con who calls it "gorgeous and haunting...an unclassifiable and frequently spectacular documentary." Rob Nelson of Variety says "simply astounding, razor sharp, dynamic". And Michael Dunaway of Paste Magazine says, "just spending an hour and a half or so inside the mind of Nick Cave would be fascinating enough. But the themes of time and lifetime, and the 20,000-day take on it, make this one a must-see."
"Partnering with Drafthouse Films to release our first film in North America is a huge thrill for us. They release the kind of films we want to watch! Tim's passion for film is infectious and together with his team we know their vision will ensure '20,000 Days on Earth' reaches the widest possible audience" says Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard.
"I am among many who consider Nick Cave the unofficial poet laureate of the modern age," says Drafthouse Films founder Tim League. "While his music fans are already eagerly anticipating this release, I am personally excited to share this riveting portrait of a modern creative genius with a much wider audience."
Thorsten Schumacher Managing Director of HanWay Films said, "We're extremely excited to have found the perfect home for Jane, Iain and nick at our friends at Drafthouse. They'll ensure the perfect rollout for this amazing film".
The deal was negotiated by Tim League and James Emanuel Shapiro on behalf of Drafthouse Films and Thorsten Schumacher, Managing Director at Hanway Films on behalf of the producers.
For more information on 20,000 Days on Earth and Drafthouse Films:
http://drafthousefilms.com
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About 20,000 Days On Earth
Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international cultural icon, Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit.
http://www.20000daysonearth.com/
About Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Visual artists Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard met while studying Goldsmiths College in London in the mid-nineties. They have worked together ever since. 20,000 Days on Earth is their first feature film.
They pioneered the use of re-enactment in contemporary art and became known for their recreations of highly-charged cultural moments, such as their critically acclaimed A Rock 'N' Roll Suicide, a painstakingly faithful live re-creation of David Bowie's final performance as Ziggy Stardust exactly 25 years later. Music plays a significant role in their work, which includes many notable collaborations, such as a sound installation with Scott Walker at Sydney Opera House, experiments with subliminal sound with Jason Pierce (Spiritualized) and a video art work featuring the first ever on-screen appearance of rapper Plan B aka Ben Drew (Harry Brown, Ill Manors, The Sweeney). More info: www.iainandjane.com.
About Drafthouse Films
Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is a curated brand of provocative, visionary and artfully unusual films new and old from around the world. Following the earnestly simple motto of "sharing the films we love with widest audience possible," Drafthouse Films debuted in 2010 with the theatrical release of Four Lions which was named of Time Magazine's "Top 10 Films Of The Year." The 2012 release slate included the acclaimed Best Foreign Language Oscar®) Bullhead, the internationally celebrated Danish comedy Klown (currently slated for a Warner Bros/Todd Phillips produced US remake), Cannes Film Festival 2013 Official Selection Nothing Bad Can Happen, the 40th anniversary restoration of landmark Australian thriller Wake In Fright, the Werner Herzog/Errol Morris produced documentary The Act Of Killing and British auteur Ben Wheatley's psychedelic trip into magic and madness A Field In England. Drafthouse Films distributes films theatrically, through home video, VOD and their direct-to-consumer platforms integrating into the ever-growing Alamo Drafthouse entertainment lifestyle brand, which along with the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas includes: Mondo, the collectible art boutique; Fantastic Fest, the largest international genre film festival in the US; and the pop culture website Badass Digest.
About Pulse Films
20,000 Days on Earth is the latest innovative feature to come from production & talent management house Pulse Films. Founded in 2005 Pulse is a UK based film company with offices in L.A, New York and Paris that has quickly created an award-winning aesthetic which focuses on genre-defying films that are culturally captivating. Pulse's feature film division is led by CEO and Founder Thomas Benski and Lucas Ochoa, Head of Film. Previous releases include the Grammy nominated Blur documentary No Distance Left to Run, the seminal LCD Soundsystem film Shut Up and Play the Hits charting the bands historic final days (Official Selection at Sundance & SXSW 2012) and the Paramount-released Katy Perry: Part of Me. Who is Dayani Cristal? starring Gael Garcia Bernal (Sundance World Documentary 2013, Winner of Best Cinematography) will be released worldwide this year. Other forthcoming releases include The Possibilities Are Endless, a moving documentary about musician Edwyn Collins and his recovery from a debilitating double stroke which will premiere this year at SXSW, as well as a warts-and-all documentary about Backstreet Boys, chronicling the bands turbulent 20-year journey which made them the biggest selling boy band of all time. Outside of feature film and documentary Pulse represents a roster of internationally renowned directors and is a leader in commercial, TV, entertainment, music video and branded content production. www.pulsefilms.com
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