New York, NY (March 7, 2011) – IFC Midnight announced today that the company is acquiring North American distribution rights to director Todd Rohal’s comedy THE CATECHISM CATACLYSM. The company also acquired television and digital rights for the picture in France, Benelux, Spain, Portugal, East-Central Europe, Turkey, and Greece. The film, which was also written and produced by Rohal, stars Steve Little (EASTBOUND & DOWN), Robert Longstreet (SEPTIEN), and Wally Dalton (THE OFF HOURS). Longstreet also executive produced the project, and David Gordon Green, Megan Griffiths, Jody Hill, Lacey Leavitt, Danny McBride, and Matt Reilly additionally served as producers. The film world premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and is also scheduled to play at the upcoming 2011 SXSW Film Festival in the Emerging Visions section.
Father Billy (Little), a young priest, is forced to take a sabbatical by his superiors when he is discovered telling inappropriate parables to his flock. Billy tracks down his high-school idol Robbie (Longstreet), who begrudgingly agrees to a canoe trip. On the water, the two men reminisce about Billy’s days as the keyboardist in a Christian band and Robbie’s as a guitarist for a metal band. When night approaches, they realize they have lost their way–and that’s when things get weird.
President of IFC Films/Sundance Selects, Jonathan Sehring, said: "CATACLYSM CATECHISM is one of the funniest films we have seen in ages. It features one of the funniest campfire scenes in the history of cinema. It’s a film that is destined for cult status. We can’t wait to work with Todd Rohal and his fantastic cast on this film."
Noted Rohal: "It’s been a blast making this film, premiering it at Sundance and working with Cinetic to find us a home at IFC Midnight. We’re thrilled that IFC Midnight is embracing our mix of Christian values and Satanic ritualism and unleashing it into this troubled world. It’s going to be a fun ride."
The deal for THE CATECHISM CATACLYSM was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films and Jeff Deutchman, Manager of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Debra Fisher at Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers.
IFC Midnight is a sister division to Sundance Selects and IFC Films, and is owned and operated by Rainbow Media.
About IFC Midnight
Established in 2010 and based in New York City, IFC Midnight is a leading U.S. distributor of genre entertainment including horror, science-fiction, thrillers, erotic art house, action and more. Its unique distribution model makes independent genre films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes. Some of the company’s successes have included Tom Six’s controversial horror film The Human Centipede (First Sequence) and Johnnie To’s Hong Kong revenge thriller Vengeance. Upcoming IFC Midnight releases include James Gunn’s Super starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Kevin Bacon; Mexican filmmaker Jorge Michel Grau’s feature directorial debut We Are What We Are; Miguel Angel Vivas’ powerful and shocking home invasion flick Kidnapped and Tom Six’s highly anticipated frightfest The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence). IFC Midnight is a sister division to Sundance Selects and IFC Films, and is owned and operated by Rainbow Media.