New York, NY – September 19, 2007 – IFC Entertainment announced today that it has acquired all North American rights to Justin Lin's Finishing the Game. The announcement was made today by IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring.
"Finishing the Game's approach to casting a replacement for Bruce Lee in his final unfinished film caught our attention immediately. It's an intelligent mockumentary in which Lin's sarcastic, dry wit does not disappoint and a salient example of Justin Lin's unique ability to entertain while connecting with audiences on a broader level," said Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment.
Directed by Justin Lin, Finishing the Game premiered at this year's 2007 Sundance Film Festival and stars McCaleb Burnett, Roger Fan, Sung Kang, James Franco, MC Hammer, Monique Curnen, Meredith Scott Lynn and Dustin Nguyen. In the film, Lin offers a hilarious look at how things might have ensued during the filming of Bruce Lee's last film, Game of Death. His comedic take on the auditions for Lee's role is cleverly combined with his mocking portrayal of mainstream cinema for its stereotypical depiction of Asian-American actors. Lin's first film, Better Luck Tomorrow, was a 2002 Sundance breakout success. He has also directed Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Arianna Bocco, Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions, negotiated the acquisition of the film with Cinetic Media who represented the filmmakers in the sale.
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.