Cinedigm Acquires all North American Distribution Rights to Festival Favorite HOLY LANDS
Film stars James Caan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Hollander, and Efrat Dor
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- announced today it has acquired all North American rights to HOLY LANDS from STUDIOCANAL. Cinedigm will release the picture in select theaters, on demand and digital in mid-2019, with a Blu-ray™ and DVD release to follow later in the year. The film already has generated extensive interest and awards following a series of screenings including DTLA Film Fest (Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography), Harvard University (with author/writer/director Amanda Sthers and Rosanna Arquette in attendance), and, just last week, the Miami Jewish Film Festival (Southeast premiere).
Filmed on location in Israel, Belgium, and New York, the picture stars James Caan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Hollander, and Efrat Dor and was written and directed by Amanda Sthers, who also wrote the book. The picture was produced by PM SA.
HOLY LANDS is a book-based property (to be published in English by Bloomsbury this month) about a Jewish-American cardiologist, Harry (Caan), who leaves everything behind and moves to the Holy Land to become a pig farmer. He leaves his estranged son David (Rhys Meyers), a successful gay playwright; his daughter Annabelle (Dor), a perpetual student; and his ex-wife (Arquette), who reflects on their love story after learning that she is terminally ill. Harry must face these life changing circumstances head-on with the “enemy” of his farm, rabbi Moshe Cattan (Hollander), as the two embark on an enlightening journey of friendship.
“We are thrilled to be releasing HOLY LANDS,” said Yolanda Macias, Cinedigm’s Executive Vice-President of Acquisitions. “This family saga is filled with heart and we know it will resonate not only with Jewish communities, but also with fans of the cast and Amanda.”
Amanda Sthers commented, “I am very excited to be working alongside Cinedigm for the North American release of HOLY LANDS. This film is about what is left unsaid, and this exists in every family around the world.”
The deal was negotiated by Josh Thomashow, Director of Acquisitions for Cinedigm, and Loubna Berrada, International Sales Manager, on behalf of STUDIOCANAL.
ABOUT CINEDIGM
Since inception, Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) has been a leader at the forefront of the digital transformation of content distribution. Adapting to the rapidly transforming business needs of today’s entertainment landscape, Cinedigm remains a change-centric player focused on providing content, channels and services to the world’s largest media, technology and retail companies. Cinedigm’s Content and Networks groups provide original and aggregated programming, channels and services that entertain consumers globally across hundreds of millions of devices. For more information, visit .
Press Contact for CIDM:
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Cinedigm
ABOUT STUDIOCANAL
STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, right acquisition, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series. STUDIOCANAL operates directly in all three major European markets, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. STUDIOCANAL owns one of the most important film libraries in the world, boasting more than 6,500 titles from 60 countries, including the iconic Terminator 2, Breathless, Mulholland Drive and Belle de jour.
STUDIOCANAL’s recent film releases include the worldwide box office hit and BAFTA nominated Paddington 2, the Liam Neeson starrer The Commuter, Early Man from Oscar-winning Nick Park, and Mike Newell’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society starring Lily James.
Upcoming films backed by STUDIOCANAL include Radioactive co-financed by Amazon Studios starring Rosamund Pike as Marie Curie and The Secret Garden based on the beloved novel starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters, both in post-production. The company will release the highly anticipated sequel Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, currently in production at Aardman.
STUDIOCANAL is actively developing and distributing high-end TV series through its network of award-winning European production companies, including Tandem Productions in Germany (Crossing Lines, Spotless), the UK’s RED Production Company (The Five, Happy Valley), Scandinavia’s SAM created by Soren Sveistrup and Adam Price (Borgen, The Killing), and Spain’s BAMBÚ.
