THREE-PART MINI-SERIES TO DEBUT IN U.S. ON SUNDANCE CHANNEL IN SPRING 2010
THEATRICAL RELEASE FOLLOWS IN FALL 2010 WITH SIMULTANEOUS NATIONWIDE ON-DEMAND FILM OFFERING
New York, NY – November 7, 2009 IFC Films, one of the leading American distributors of independent and foreign films, announced today that the company has acquired all U.S. rights to the theatrical version of CARLOS, directed by Olivier Assayas (SUMMER HOURS). The film is a shortened version of the three-part mini-series of the same name that will premiere on Sundance Channel in Spring 2010. IFC Films and Sundance Channel are both wholly owned by Rainbow Media Holdings. The mini-series and film are about the man known as Carlos the Jackal who single handedly invented the word “terrorism” while masterminding a wave of terror attacks in Europe and the Middle East in the 70s and 80s. CARLOS stars Edgar Ramirez (CHE, DOMINO) in the lead role with a sweeping cast of international talent from France, Germany, Japan and the Middle East. Scheduled to air on Canal Plus in early 2010, the three-part series was shot in various countries including Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon and Morocco. It is produced by Studio Canal and Film En Stock’s prize winning journalist Daniel Leconte and Jens Meuer (RUSSIAN ARK) in association with Sundance Channel.
Harold vanLier and Anna Marsh of Studio Canal negotiated the deal at the American Film Market.
His name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, but everybody calls him Carlos. For two decades, he was the most wanted terrorist on earth. Manipulated by Arab secret services, protected by the Eastern bloc, in various disguises and under many pseudonyms, he headed a worldwide organization responsible for spectacular killings, hijackings and bombings. This is the story of a man snatched from ignominious exile in Sudan to answer for his crimes in France. It is the story of Carlos the Jackal.
Studio Canal?s Harold vanLier stated “I simply love working with IFC Films. They are passionate and really smart and the distribution model they bring to such a unique project is very attractive. To have the Sundance Channel sharing our enthusiasm from the very start was one thing but to now have their sister company IFC Films now committing to a big theatrical release is really a tribute to Olivier Assayas as a filmmaker. We strongly believe CARLOS is one of the many projects that will help us turn the Canal Plus Group into the main European supplier of commercial films and original programming.”
On behalf of IFC Films Jonathan Sehring said, “CARLOS is going to be one of the major events of 2010, and we could not be happier to be back in business with Olivier Assayas after SUMMER HOURS, our friends at Studio Canal and to work with our sister company Sundance Channel to bring this incredible vision about one of the most famous figures in recent history to American audiences.”
About Olivier Assayas
A rare French filmmaker with his finger on the pulse of the modern world, Olivier Assayas is the filmmaker of such films as SUMMER HOURS, BOARDING GATE, CLEAN, DEMONLOVER, LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER, LES DESTINEES, IRMA VEP and COLD WATER.
About Sundance Channel
Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, imaginative and uncompromising, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries and original programs. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. Sundance Channel’s website address is www.sundancechannel.com.
About IFC Entertainment
A leader in the independent film industry, IFC Entertainment consists of multiple brands that are devoted to bringing the best of specialty films to the largest possible audience: IFC Films, Festival Direct, IFC Productions, and the IFC Center. IFC Films is a leading distributor of independent film. Its unique day and date distribution model, ‘IFC In Theaters,’ makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable’s On Demand platform and through Pay-Per-View, reaching 50 million homes. ‘IFC Festival Direct’ features a wide selection of titles acquired from major international film festivals and offers them exclusively through Video on Demand. IFC Productions is a feature film production company that provides financing for select independent film projects. IFC Center is a three screen, state-of-the-art cinema with luxurious seating and HD digital and 35mm projection that shows art-house films in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village. IFC Entertainment’s companies are subsidiaries of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC.
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, multiplatform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world’s most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC (The Independent Film Channel), WE tv, Sundance Channel, IFC Entertainment and VOOM HD Networks. Through IFC Entertainment, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a leading U.S. distributor of independent and foreign film with a unique day and date distribution model, “IFC In Theaters,” that makes films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable’s On Demand platform; IFC Festival Direct features titles acquired from major international film festivals and initially offers them exclusively through On Demand; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Center, a state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, an advertising sales company; Rainbow Network Communications, a full service network programming origination and distribution company; and 11 Penn TV, a company that manages Rainbow Media’s NYC studios and post-production facilities.