New York, NY – August 22, 2007 – IFC Entertainment announced today that it has acquired all North American rights to Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely. The announcement was made today by IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring.
"Mister Lonely was easily the most original and inventive film which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Harmony Korine continues to be one of the most distinctive and singular voices working in cinema and with Mister Lonely he takes his audience on an unforgettable journey," said Sehring. "Diego Luna and Samantha Morton give truly remarkable performances in this captivating world Harmony has created. Harmony's absence from the independent film world for the past several years has truly been missed and Mister Lonely demonstrates what a true master of the medium he is."
Shot in the jungles of Panama, Scotland and Paris, Mister Lonely is about a Michael Jackson impersonator, played by Diego Luna, who lives alone in Paris and performs on the streets to make ends meet. At a performance in a retirement home, Michael falls for a beautiful Marilyn Monroe impersonator who suggests he move to a commune of impersonators in the Scottish Highlands. At the seaside castle, Michael discovers everyone preparing for the commune's first-ever gala – Abe Lincoln, Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Stooges, the Queen, the Pope, Madonna, Buckwheat, Sammy Davis, Jr. and also Marilyn's daughter Shirley Temple and her possessive husband Charlie Chaplin. Meanwhile, a miracle is happening somewhere in the Latin American jungle, involving film legend Werner Herzog as a priest.
Mister Lonely is directed by Harmony Korine (Gummo and Julien Donkey Boy) and is written by Harmony Korine and Avi Korine. The film premiered in Cannes and will be screening at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. It stars Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, James Fox, Werner Herzog and Anita Pallenberg The film is produced by French fashion designer Agnes B's Love Streams Productions, produced by Nadja Roman and Jeremy Thomas. The film is executive produced by Peter Watson.
Arianna Bocco, Vice President of Acquisitions and Production for IFC Entertainment negotiated the acquisition of Mister Lonely with Hengameh Panahi from Celluloid Dreams who represented the filmmakers.
The film will be released theatrically and on local cable's On Demand platform.
About Ifc Entertainment
IFC Entertainment consists of IFC Films, a leading theatrical film distribution company bringing the best of independent and specialized films to theaters; IFC First Take and IFC In Theaters, the operations that together make up IFC Entertainment's theatrical and on-demand day and date initiative; IFC Productions, a feature film production company that provides financing for select independent film projects; the IFC Center, an art house in NYC and IFC Films on Demand, video-on-demand offerings. Recent films included Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and Shane Meadows's This Is England. Upcoming films include Hou Hsiao Hsien's The Flight of the Red Balloon, and Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, LIFESKOOL, SPORTSKOOL, and VOOM HD Networks. Through its IFC Entertainment division, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a theatrical feature film distribution company; IFC First Take/IFC in Theaters, a day and date theatrical feature film/VOD initiative; the IFC Center in New York City; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Entertainment, which owns and operates a film library. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales division, and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.