TRIBECA FILM ACQUIRES THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY

Dennis Farina Anchors Powerful Character Portrait Made in Association with Chicago’s Steppenwolf Films, founded by the creators of the Theatre Company

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“Farina recalls Burt Lancaster in Atlantic City … there is an emotional payoff that feels solid and right.” - Variety


New York, NY – July 28, 2011 – Tribeca Film announced today that it has acquired all distribution rights in the US and Canada to The Last Rites of Joe May, an emotionally powerful drama centering on a hustler (Dennis Farina, Get Shorty, Midnight Run, Snatch) traveling a winding road to redemption. Joe May, written and directed by Joe Maggio and produced by Stephanie Striegel and Bill Straus in association with Chicago’s Steppenwolf Films, had its world premiere in competition at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. The title will be released in October on VOD and theatrically by Tribeca Film, which is supported by Founding Partner American Express, and brings films to consumers across a range of platforms, including nationwide VOD, theatrical, DVD, pay-TV and digital. The deal was negotiated by Nick Savva, Director of Acquisitions for Tribeca Film with Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films on behalf of the producers.

In the spirit of classic 1970’s filmmaking, Joe May is the story of a sixty-something Chicagoan named Joe May, a short-money hustler of Rolex knockoffs and bootleg DVDs. Joe returns home from a lengthy hospital stay only to find that his landlord thought he was dead and rented out his apartment to Jenny (Jamie Anne Allman, AMC’s The Killing), a single mom with a young daughter. Begrudgingly, Joe accepts Jenny’s offer to share the apartment. Joe attempts to plot his comeback scheme with help from an old contact (Gary Cole), but instead a domino effect gets everything going against him. With his health failing and resources dwindling, Joe is presented with one last shot at redemption in the eyes of a community that’s all but left him for dead. Farina’s Joe May “is designed in the classic tough-guy mold, but the veteran character-actor’s performance also serves to disassemble it,” observed indieWIRE when the film played TFF.

“I'm thrilled to have Tribeca handling the release of The Last Rites of Joe May,” said Maggio. “It's a really personal film and Tribeca was so passionate about it, right from the beginning. I couldn't have asked for a better fit.”

“Joe Maggio has imagined a character that resonates with subtlety and truth in addressing the realities of the final denouement of one’s life in The Last Rites of Joe May,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “Dennis Farina delivers the performance of his lifetime with a realism and vulnerability that we haven’t seen before.”

About Tribeca Film:
Tribeca Film is a comprehensive distribution label dedicated to acquiring and marketing independent films across multiple platforms, including video-on-demand, theatrical, 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.

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Movie Reviews and News

Cartoons for iOS - The First Cartoons Free Library

London, United Kingdom - Vitzu Ltd. today is pleased to introduce Cartoons by Vitzu, the first cartoons' free library for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Open up the application and you can enter into a great cartoons gallery where you can find best cartoons ever, from classic animation such as Popeye the Sailor Man to brand new episodes of Beast Wars Transformers or Angelina Ballerina.

This app is very easy to use: you can pick up a cartoon from the library and a specific episode. A TV with the preview of the cartoon you have chosen will appear. Touch "play" on the screen and the application will connect you straight to YouTube.

Sometimes parents are really worried about what their children are going to watch on YouTube, that's the reason why every cartoons episode is carefully selected. This app has been designed thinking of children and for children without forgetting parents, who can create customised playlists in order to check what children are watching.

Thanks to Cartoons by Vitzu children are going to have fun and learn too. We selected some of the best Learning Songs' videos such as Alphabet Song, Numbers Song, Colours Song and more!

Cartoons by Vitzu is ideal for kids every age: from youngest children who can enjoy TeleTubbies and Nursery Rhymes, to older kids with Transformers (including the original Japanese version with subtitles and 1986's Transformers the Movie), the Real Ghostbusters and Spiderman and his amazing Friends.

Cartoons by Vitzu is perfect for parents too: they can check what their children are watching and at the same time have fun with cartoons' episodes from their childhood, for instance Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny or Sesame Street 's episodes from the 80s. If you would like to watch cartoons from your device, but YouTube is not reliable and safe for your kids, Cartoons by Vitzu is the application that can help you have fun. To use Cartoons by Vitzu all you need is an Internet connection!

Feature Highlights:
* Great Cartoons' Selection
* Free App
* Every episode is carefully selected
* Create custom playlists to check what kids are watching
* YouTube Filter
* Learning and fun for kids of every age
* Ideal for grown-ups as well

Language support:
* US English

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 3.2 or later
* 17.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Cartoons by Vitzu 1.0 is free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Entertainment category.



Located in London, UK, the Vitzu team is an independent software company founded in 2008. Current main areas of activity include iOS, Web, and Internet consulting services. With their strong blend of design and development skills, Vitzu's mission is to design intuitive, efficient, and quality IT-solutions for the automation, protection, and promotion of business. Copyright (C) 2011 Alex Alexeev. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod, and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.





*visit the iTunes, App Store and Mac App Store*

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Movie Reviews and News

Animation Desk for iPhone Featured on iTunes App Stores Worldwide

Tainan, Taiwan - Building upon the strength and success of its highly-rated entertainment app, Animation Desk for iPad, Kdan Mobile today is pleased to announce Animation Desk for iPhone to encourage more users to explore their creative selves through the process of animation making. After the first week of its release, Animation Desk for iPhone is now featured on the front page of iTunes App Stores in 72 countries and regions around the world. According to the developer, Animation Desk for iPhone has adopted the same elegant design as its iPad counterpart, but with a cleaner interface and brand new features such as layers and brush opacity adjustment.

Animation Desk for iPhone is a mobile application that allows users to create hand-drawn animations on their iPhones. The drawing interface provided by the app resembles the real working environment of a professional animator who completes each frame of an animation on a specially-designed desk, the animation desk.

Despite its professional visual design, Animation Desk for iPhone is easy and intuitive to work with. "We want to provide a friendly drawing environment so that everyone can enjoy creating their own animated works. In the end, we hope more people will learn to appreciate the beauty of traditional animations," says Kevin Huang, Chief Designer of Kdan Mobile.

At the same time, Animation Desk for iPad is being updated to version 1.4.3 with new features as dynamic backgrounds and enhanced playback control.

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 4.0 or later
* 42.0 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Animation Desk for iPhone 1.0 is $2.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

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Movie Reviews and News

Enhanced Features and Iconography for Film Festival iPad App

New York, New York - Polymash Inc. is excited to announce the inclusion of an additional 40 films from international filmmakers to its FilmOneFest iPad app, completing the 2011 program of films as shown on the night of the festival. In addition, the iPad app has been updated with new and expanded features to enhance the viewing experience.

(See:

The FilmOneFest app is a celebration of one-minute film as an art form)

More than 40 one-minute films from international film-makers have been added, and the app now contains over 80 films, as well as the complete screening program shown at the live FilmOneFest festival. Furthermore, the app offers not only a collection of one-minute films from film-makers all around the world, but also artists' in depth interviews, feature pages, artists' statements and insights from the esteemed Selection Panel and more. Among the new features is the ability to select FilmOneFest viewing options that allow the user to customize their viewing of the content in a number of ways:

1. Display all film entries in alphabetical order by name of film-maker
2. Display 2011 FilmOneFest selected films in the order of the program on the night of the festival
3. Display news and updates about FilmOneFest and its growing global community
4. Easily identify new content with the use of alert badges.

Another feature is a new legend of iconography that describes which films:
* Are selected for inclusion in the Festival
* Include an artist statement about the film
* Have received a special award
* Include a featured article written by the artist, about themselves and their work along with social media links

About the FilmOneFest Festival:
FilmOneFest is an annual outdoor film festival that shows approximately 60 one-minute films from all over the world. FilmOneFest is in its third year. Last year, almost 1000 people gathered on the lawns, laid down their blankets, stretched out their lawn chairs, opened up their coolers and joined in celebration on a balmy July summer's evening to watch one-minute films under the stars next to the marina at Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA.

App Features:
* One-minute films and videos from filmmakers all around world
* Documented interviews with filmmakers about what inspires them and what excites them about the one-minute film format
* Artists' statements accompanying many of the films
* Past award winning films from FilmOneFest
* 2011 award winners, announced at FilmOneFest July 16, 2011
* Links to Facebook, Twitter and websites of many of the artists
* Selection Panel sharing their passions about film and what they look for in their selection
* Growing collection of one-minute films for submission to the annual FilmOneFest
* Information about the host township and its Arts Council: Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA, located 30 minutes south of New York City by fast ferry service
* Live news feed indicating new additions
* Updated Legend to include 2011 Selections, Award Winners, Featured Articles, Artists' Statements

The continued vision for the FilmOneFest app is to accept and curate one-minute films all year round, culminating in the acclaimed FilmOneFest every year in July in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA. To the best of the developer's knowledge, the FilmOneFest app is:

* The first iPad specific app developed for a film festival
* The first iPad app for a festival of one-minute films
* The first iPad app to curate submissions of one-minute films all year round for final selection to a festival

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPad
* Requires iOS 3.2 or later
* 97.2 MB

Pricing and Availability
The FilmOneFest app 1.0 is currently free of charge and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

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Movie Reviews and News

Sheridan Smith, Jack O’Connell, Russell Tovey And Ralph Brown To Star In Tower Block

Sheridan Smith, Jack O’Connell, Russell Tovey And Ralph Brown

To Star In Tower Block

Principal photography to commence on 18^th July 2011

London, 2011 – Surya Productions in association with The Tea Shop and Film Company announce principal photography on feature film Tower Block. Commencing 18^th July, Tower Block will be directed by first time duo Ronnie Thompson and James Nunn and shot on location around East London.

Tower Block is a British thriller movie starring SHERIDAN SMITH (Musical production of Legally Blonde, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps), JACK O’CONNELL (Eden Lake, Harry Brown, Skins), RUSSELL TOVEY (Being Human, History Boys) and RALPH BROWN (Mean Machine, Huge, Killing Bono). Tower Block is written by James Moran (Torchwood, Severance) and produced by James Harris (Screwed, Cockneys Vs Zombies), Mark Lane (Cockneys Vs Zombies) and Ronnie Thompson (Screwed). Sales are handled by Simon Crowe’s SC Films International.

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. When Jimmy, 15, is brutally murdered by two hooded figures, Becky (Sheridan Smith), Kurtis (Jack O’Connell), Neville (Ralph Brown) and the other residents of Tower Block 31 are witnesses to the killing but fearing retribution they are too scared to give detectives any information and the police investigation is going nowhere.

One year later and someone has taken justice into their own hands. Picked off one by one, the tenants of Tower Block 31 are under threat from a mystery sniper who has also set traps throughout the building holding them prisoners in their own homes.

Unsure of why they have been targeted the group put their differences aside undertaking daring attempts to escape the building. But with every exit leading to another death, will they ever escape Tower Block 31?  

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Movie Reviews and News

Vanessa Redgrave, Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston to star In “Song For Marion”

Principal photography to commence on 18^th July 2011

London, 2011 – 'Steel Mill Pictures and Coolmore Productions are delighted to announce principal photography on feature film Song for Marion. 

Shooting in the North East of England, primarily in County Durham, Song for Marion is written and to be directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton, The Cottage, Cherry Tree Lane).

The superb British cast is made up of Academy Award Winner  VANESSA REDGRAVE (Julia, Atonement, Howard’s End), cinema legend TERENCE STAMP (Billy Budd, The Limey, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), GEMMA ARTERTON (Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia, Tamara Drewe) and CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON (Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, Doctor Who).

Song for Marion is a London-set comedic drama, about grumpy pensioner Arthur (Terence Stamp) who is reluctantly inspired by his beloved wife Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) to join a highly unconventional local choir.  At odds with his son James (Christopher Eccleston) it is left to choir director Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) to try and persuade Arthur that he can learn to embrace life.  Arthur must confront the undercurrents of his own grumbling persona as he embarks on a hilarious, life-affirming journey of musical self discovery.

Director Paul Andrew Williams comments "Song for Marion is a story which is not only incredibly personal to me, but to many families and generations around the world. To see it brought to life by such an incredible and dynamic cast is not only massively exciting but also totally nerve racking!"

Producer Ken Marshall added "With Song for Marion we have the chance to make a hilarious, joyous, yet poignant film that will hopefully move audiences to both laughter and tears. We took our time with this project as we knew we had to get the casting right to do it justice, we are thrilled with the cast we have secured and are looking forward to the start of the shoot."

Song for Marion is also being produced in partnership with Egoli Tossell Film and Film House Germany.

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Movie Reviews and News

Conan the Barbarian - New Trailer

Lionsgate have just launched a brand new edit 12A trailer for Conan the Barbarian:



For exclusives about the movies visit http://www.facebook.com/conan3duk

Lionsgate Presents Conan the Barbarian on August 24^th.  

“I live.  I love.  I slay… I am content.”

Directed By Marcus Nispel. Starring Jason Momoa as Conan, plus Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Said Taghmaoui and Ron Perlman.

The colossal legend that is CONAN THE BARBARIAN is back this Summer. Having thrived and evolved for eight decades in the public imagination - in prose and graphics, on the big screen and small - Conan’s exploits in the Hyborian Age now come alive like never before. Shot in 3D, the reimagining of one man’s mythical battle for revenge is finally here in this Epic action-adventure film.

A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realises he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.  

Deftly adapted from the original works of Robert E. Howard and faithful to the mythology and psychology of his iconic character, CONAN THE BARBARIAN stars Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Said Taghmaoui and Ron Perlman. The film is directed by Marcus Nispel, and written by Thomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood.

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Movie Reviews and News

The FilmOneFest app is a celebration of one-minute film as an art form

New York, New York - Polymash Inc. is very excited to announce the release of the FilmOneFest app. The FilmOneFest app is a collection of one-minute films from filmmakers all around the world with supporting stories, artists' statements and interviews. Furthermore, the app will continue to accept ongoing submissions to FilmOneFest throughout the year, culminating in the selection of one-minute films to be shown at each year's festival.

The FilmOneFest Festival:
FilmOneFest is an annual outdoor film festival that shows approximately 60 one-minute films from all over the world. FilmOneFest is in its third year. Last year, almost 1000 people gathered on the lawns, laid down their blankets, stretched out their lawn chairs, opened up their coolers and joined in celebration on a balmy July summer's evening to watch one-minute films under the stars next to the marina at Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA.

App Features:
* One-minute films and videos from filmmakers all around world
* Documented interviews with filmmakers about what inspires them and what excites them about the one-minute film format
* Artists' statements accompanying many of the films
* Past award winning films from FilmOneFest
* 2011 award winners, announced at FilmOneFest July 16, 2011
* Links to Facebook, Twitter and websites of many of the artists
* Selection Panel sharing their passions about film and what they look for in their selection
* Growing collection of one-minute films for submission to the annual FilmOneFest
* Information about the host township and its Arts Council: Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA, located 30 minutes south of New York City by fast ferry service.

The Experience:
FilmOneFest app is more than an app showing one-minute films. To provide additional interest, members of the Selection Panel and filmmakers were interviewed about their inspirations and visions. Their self-expression adds increased appreciation to the one-minute film art form. Hearing directly from the creators themselves reveals a whole new set of meanings. It's powerful and expansive.

The Vision:
The continued vision for the FilmOneFest app is to accept and curate one-minute films all year round, culminating in the acclaimed FilmOneFest every year in July in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA. To the best of the developer's knowledge, the FilmOneFest app is:

* The first iPad specific app developed for a film festival.
* The first iPad app for a festival of of one-minute films.
* The first iPad app that curates submissions of one-minute films all year round for final selection to a festival

Supported Languages include English, Bokml, Norwegian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian.

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPad
* Requires iOS 3.2 or later
* 97.2 MB

Pricing and Availability
The FilmOneFest app 1.0 is currently free of charge and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.




Polymash Inc. is a US-based company whose mission is to transform knowledge and content into exceptional experiences on tablets, web and emerging mobile platforms, offering a full range of app creation services that combine the design, authoring or converting of interactive content for tablet devices, assistance to clients with overall app strategy development and integration, information product design and development, app marketing strategy, services and support. Polymash is a team of experienced IT and publishing professionals, specializing in user experience design, content and language optimization, marketing and social media integration, as well as creative web and graphic design. Copyright (C) 2011 Polymash Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Movie Reviews and News