New York, NY – October 20, 2006 – IFC Entertainment continues an aggressive acquisitions trend by securing all North American rights to Eric Byler's award winning AMERICANese, to be released by IFC First Take in 2007. Byler wrote and directed the film which nabbed the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and Jury Prize for Outstanding Ensemble Acting for its World Premiere bow at South by Southwest International Film Festival this year. AMERICANese screens this weekend at the Hamptons International Film Festival as an East Coast Premiere. The announcement was made by IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring.
The relationship drama is based on the novel, "American Knees", by Shawn Wong. The film was produced by Lisa Onodera (Picture Bride) and stars Chris Tashima (Oscar winner for Visas and Virtue) Joan Chen (The Last Emperor, Saving Face), Kelly Hu (X-Men II, The Scorpion King) Allison Sie (Enemy of State, Anywhere but Here), Ben Shenkman (Must Love Dogs, Angels in America), Sab Shimono (Robot Stories, Come See the Paradise) and Michael Paul Chan (Joy Luck Club, The Insider, Thousand Pieces of Gold).
Byler's highly acclaimed first feature, Charlotte Sometimes (HIFF 2002), won numerous festival awards and was nominated for two Sprit Awards.
AMERICANese is a penetrating anti-romance, filled with lush, dreamlike imagery and sharply realized emotions. It tells this story of two lovers perhaps meant to be together, bewildered as they hopelessly drift apart. The film invites the audience to unravel, in flashbacks, in private ruminations, and in infrequent encounters, the mystery of an Asian American love story. The meaning of Raymond and Aurora's love, and the truth behind their breakup, are revealed in its aftermath – just as scientists learn about the birth of the universe by studying the reverberation of its echo.
Sehring commented, "Byler wrote and directed a moving and layered film with an extraordinarily talented cast. We are thrilled to give this film a home on our First Take label and ensure its reach to audiences both at home and in theatres."
The deal was negotiated by Sehring and Arianna Bocco, IFCE's newly appointed VP of Acquisitions and Production with John J. Sie of AJS Ventures and John Sloss of Cinetic Media on behalf of the film.
ABOUT FIRST TAKE AND IFC ENTERTAINMENT
IFC First Take is the day and date distribution arm of IFC Entertainment. First Take releases twenty-four films a year, theatrically across the country and simultaneously on VOD through the IFC IN THEATRES service currently available with Comcast and Cablevision. IFC Entertainment also consists of IFC Films, a traditional distribution company, and the new IFC Center in Greenwich Village. IFCE is a Rainbow Media company. Recent First Take Films include I am a Sex Addict, Three Times, Russian Dolls and Requiem. Family Law and The Wind That Shakes the Barley are upcoming.
Recent IFC Films include Patrick Creadon's Wordplay, Lou Pepe and Keith Fulton's Brothers of the Head, Bent Hamer's Factotum (with Matt Dillon and Lili Taylor) and Sherrybaby, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal. IFC Films executive produced The Night Listener with Hart Sharp.
Notable IFC Films include Me And You And Everyone We Know, the Academy Award winning Boys Don't Cry, Touching the Void which broke box office records to become among the top ten grossing documentaries of all time, 2003 Oscar®-nominated My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien. IFC Films co-distributed Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and the award winning Transamerica.
ABOUT RAINBOW MEDIA HOLDINGS LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media creates and manages some of the country's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands including popular national and regional television channels AMC, fuse, The Independent Film Channel (IFC), WE tv, and three FSN affiliated regional sports networks managed by Rainbow Sports Networks. The company also manages Mag Rack and sportskool, two original on-demand networks; VOOM HD Networks, the largest and most diverse suite of high definition channels available anywhere; IFC Entertainment, its film distribution, production and exhibition division; Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales division; and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.