New York, NY – September 19, 2012 – IFC Films has acquired from Myriad Pictures the U.S. distribution rights to Director/Writer Ruba Nadda’s (Cario Time) thriller Inescapable, which premiered as a Gala Presentation at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Alexander Siddig (Cario Time, Kingdom of Heaven), Joshua Jackson (Lay the Favorite,“Fringe”) and Marisa Tomei (Crazy, Stupid Love., The Wrestler, My Cousin Vinny). The film was produced by Daniel Iron (Citizen Gangster, Cairo Time, Away From Her, The Bang Bang Club, The Red Violin) and Lance Samuels (The Bang Bang Club). Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry, Far From Heaven), of Killer Films, Kirk D’Amico (Margin Call, The Good Girl) of Myriad Pictures and Mark Slone of Alliance Films serve as Executive Producers. Alliance Films is distributing Inescapable in Canada.
INESCAPABLE is the story of a Syrian expatriate (Siddig) whose journalist daughter goes missing in Damascus. He returns to his homeland to find her, despite the risks, and calls on a former love (Tomei) to help him, as well as an embassy official (Jackson) who is helpful at first, but may have an agenda of his own.
"I’m excited and honored to be back with IFC Films and to bring my movie to audiences in the US,” stated Ruba Nadda. “This is a project of I’ve been working on for the past 6 years and I’m so happy for the confidence that IFC Films has shown in it.” IFC Films previously released Nadda’s film Cairo Time, also starring Alexander Siddig, successfully to the U.S. Box Office in 2010.
"We’re all very happy to be working with the wonderfully talented Ruba Nadda again on her follow-up to Cairo Time which was a great success for us,” remarked Jonathan Sehring, President, Sundance Selects/IFC Films. “She has made a bold and exciting film with our friends Alexander Siddig and Marisa Tomei. It’s great to be back in business with Daniel Iron, Christine Vachon and Kirk D’Amico."
The deal was negotiated by Myriad’s Kirk D’Amico and The Gersh Agency, who were co-selling the film for the U.S., and Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Co-Production, for Sundance Selects/IFC Films. Myriad Pictures is handling the film internationally.
About The Cast and Crew
Marisa Tomei earned an Academy Award® for her performance opposite Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny. She has subsequently been nominated for two additional Oscars®, for her roles in In The Bedroom and The Wrestler, for which Tomei also received Golden Globe® Award nominations. Tomei excels at both comedic and dramatic roles and has appeared in many high-profile and critically acclaimed films including The Ideas of March with George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love with Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling, Salvation Boulevard with Pierce Brosnan, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead with Philip Seymour Hoffman, What Women Want with Mel Gibson and Slums of Beverly Hills with Alan Arkin.
Joshua Jackson started his professional a career as a child actor, and appeared in such films as Magic In The Water, with Mark Harmon, The Mighty Ducks with Emilio Estevez and Bryan Singer’s Apt Pupil. He gained prominence starring in the hit television series “Dawson’s Creek”, with Katie Holmes. Jackson starred with Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair and Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions and in the thriller The Skulls with Paul Walker. Jackson starred opposite Glenn Close in The Safety of Objects and appears as Peter Bishop in the hit television series “The Fringe”. He will be appearing with Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the new Stephen Frears film Lay The Favorite.
Alexander Siddig studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts to prepare for his career as an actor. Siddig is accomplished in television and film. He starred in the hit TV series’ “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “24”. Siddig appeared in the mountain-climbing thriller Vertical Limit with Bill Paxton and Robin Tunney, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom and Reign of Fire with Christian Bale. He was critically recognized for his performance alongside Matt Damon and George Clooney in Syriana. Siddig starred in the 2010 action film Clash of the Titans and in Julian Schanbel’s Miral, with Vanessa Redgrave and Willem Dafoe. Inescapable is his second film with Ruba Nadda; Siddig starred with Patricia Clarkson in award-winning Cairo Time.
Ruba Nadda is an internationally and critically-acclaimed writer, producer, and director, with over 17 feature-length and short films to her credit, including Black September, Damascus Nights and Unsettled. Nadda directed the romance Cairo Time, starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, which won Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film festival. INESCAPABLE is the second film she has worked on with producer Daniel Iron, who also produced Cairo Time, and with Alexander Siddig.
Daniel Iron is a prolific and accomplished producer. In 1993, he associated produced Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, which won the Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for a Spirit Award. Iron was a co-producer of the Academy Award® winner The Red Violin, which was also nominated for a Golden Globe. He executive produced the horror/comedy Fido, which was released theatrically in the US by Lionsgate Films. Iron produced the critically-acclaimed Sarah Polley-directed film Away From Her, starring Julie Christie, which earned two Academy Award® nominations and numerous other awards and nominations. This is Iron’s second film with Ruba Nadda, having produced Cairo Time. Cairo Time won the Best Canadian Picture Award at the 2009 Toronto International Film festival. Iron produced the documentary Manufactured Landscapes which was nominated for a Spirit Award in 2008. Iron produced The Bang Bang Club starring Ryan Phillipe and
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Malin Akerman. Edwin Boyd won the 2011 TIFF award for Best Canadian First Feature.
About IFC FILMS
Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of quality talent-driven independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent 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 over the years have included My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Touching the Void, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Gomorrah, Che, Summer Hours, Antichrist, In the Loop, Antichrist, Wordplay, Cairo Time, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Tiny Furniture and Carlos. Over the years, IFC Films has worked with established and breakout auteurs, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noe, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, as well as more recent breakouts such as Andrea Arnold, Mia Hansen Love, Corneliu Porombiou, Joe Swanberg, Barry Jenkins, Lena Dunham, Aaron Katz, Daryl Wein and Abdellatif Kechiche. In December 2012 IFC Films will release ON THE ROAD starring Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst with Sundance Selects.
IFC Films is a sister division to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by
AMC Networks Inc.
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About Myriad Pictures
Based in Santa Monica, California, Myriad Pictures is a leader in the independent financing, production, distribution and worldwide sales of major motion pictures and television programming. Owned and founded in 1990 by President and CEO Kirk D’Amico, the company holds an impressive and diverse library of filmed programming.
Myriad’s current slate of films includes:
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY, HIS STORY and HER STORY – Two films telling one story, from the perspectives of a husband and wife. Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy star. The film was shot this summer in NYC.
WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH MARGIE?- Elizabeth Banks stars in this dark comedy from Academy Award® winning Screenwriter Alan Ball. Margie, a downtrodden office worker, hatches a plan to get back at her co-workers becoming more confident in each success.
CAUGHT STEALING – Patrick Wilson and Alec Baldwin star in this heist thriller about a once a hotshot high school baseball prospect (Wilson), turned unlucky alcoholic, who mistakenly gets caught up in a bloody treasure hunt through New York City with a sadistic cop (Baldwin), Russian mobsters, a Samoan hit man, and a pair of psychotic brothers hot on his trail.
KNIFE FIGHT – Rob Lowe plays a political campaign consultant with a “winning is everything” approach in this comedy that takes a look behind the scenes at the nasty tactics he uses to beat his opponents. Also starring “Modern Family’s” Julie Bowen and Jamie Chung, the film is directed by Bill Guttentag and co-written by Guttentag and former Bill Clinton advisor Chris LeHane. The film had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival Wednesday, April 25, 2012, and will be released in the U.S. by IFC Films.
NOBODY WALKS – This well-received 2012 Sundance Jury Award-winner stars John Krasinski ("The Office"), Olivia Thirlby and Rosemarie DeWitt, and was directed by Ry Russo-Young. Magnolia will release the film theatrically in the U.S. in October 2012. The film had its World Premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and will be released in the U.S. by Magnolia Pictures October 2012.
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