TRIBECA FILM ACQUIRES ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ROAD-TRIP JANIE JONES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY [Feb 10, 2011] – Tribeca Film has acquired all U.S. rights to Unified Pictures and Industrial Entertainment’s Janie Jones and will release the film theatrically in multiple U.S. markets, as well as on video-on-demand and other platforms in the summer of 2011. The authentic and charming rock ‘n’ roll road trip drama about a father and daughter finding their way to each other through music stars Academy Award® nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Alessandro Nivola (Coco Before Chanel), Academy Award® nominee Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas) and Brittany Snow (Hairspray). Janie Jones was written and directed by David M. Rosenthal, whose own life experiences inspired the story.

 
Janie Jones, which drew praise following its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a 13-year old girl left in the custody of her burned-out rock star father, Ethan, whom she has never met, when her mother checks into rehab. With no feel for fatherhood, Ethan’s drug and booze-fueled antics on tour take their toll on and off stage as his band deserts him one by one. As Ethan’s self-destructive spiral threatens to derail his career, Janie uses her own surprising musical talents to help guide him along the rocky road to redemption.

“Janie Jones is especially notable as a showcase for the extraordinary talents of Alessandro and Abigail, whose on-screen musical performances are nothing short of revelatory,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “David Rosenthal has brought to life an inspiring and warm-hearted story that we are proud to present to audiences through Tribeca Film along with our founding partner, American Express.”

“This film is incredibly dear to me,” said director David Rosenthal.  “I didn’t meet my daughter until she was eleven years old and it was perhaps the most profound moment in my life. Janie Jones captures that emotion. So, knowing Tribeca Film is treating the release of the film with such care is a great comfort to me – not to mention very exciting.”

The film was produced through a partnership between Unified Pictures Founder and President Keith Kjarval and Industrial Entertainment’s Eric Bassett and is rounded out by an impressive indie cast including Peter Stormare (The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus), Frances Fisher (Titanic), Frank Whaley (Swimming with Sharks) and Joel Moore (Avatar). The film’s vibrant original music is by Eef Barzeley of the acclaimed alt-country band Clem Snide and award winning singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes.

“It became evident to us very early on that Tribeca Film is the right home for Janie Jones,” said Kjarval. “We’re really impressed with the Tribeca team and the creative strategy they’ve outlined for the release of the film and excited to introduce Janie Jones to viewers across the country.”

Nick Savva, Director, Acquisitions for Tribeca Film, negotiated the deal with Keith Kjarval and Eric Bassett along with CAA.

About Tribeca Film:
Tribeca Film is a comprehensive distribution label dedicated to acquiring and marketing independent films across multiple platforms, including theatrical, video-on-demand, digital, home video and television.  It is an initiative from Tribeca Enterprises designed to provide new platforms for how film can be experienced, while supporting filmmakers and introducing audiences to films they might not otherwise see. American Express continues its support of Tribeca and the independent film community by serving as the Founding Partner of Tribeca Film.

About Unified Pictures:
Unified Pictures operates as an independent film production and distribution company dedicated to the development, financing, production and distribution of top-tier filmed entertainment. With several cutting-edge and artistically innovative films, Unified Pictures has established an impressive presence in a wide variety of film genres.

For more information please visit www.unifiedpictures.com.

About Industrial Entertainment:
Industrial Entertainment is an Irvine, CA based entertainment company founded by Eric Bassett. As president, Bassett oversees financing, development and production of the company's motion picture slate, as well as sales of its films in the international marketplace. Industrial Entertainment brings together some of the best names in the entertainment industry to deliver critically acclaimed and commercially viable releases. Industrial Entertainment recently released Werner Herzog’s My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done executive produced by David Lynch and starring Academy Award® nominees Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoeand Repo Chick, a sequel to the cult classic Repo Man, directed by Alex Cox.

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Contact:

Tribeca Film:
Tammie Rosen – Tribeca Enterprises, 212.941.2003, trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
Dade Hayes – Rubenstein Communications, 212.843.2003, dhayes@rubenstein.com

Industrial Entertainment:
Christoph Buerger – 323-868-7611, christoph@davidlynch.com

******EDITOR NOTE*****

FILM STILL IMAGE IS AVAILABLE AT:

http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/media/tribeca-film-festival-home/Film_Stills.html