New York, NY - May 15, 2013 - Alive Mind Cinema has acquired all North American rights to BREATH OF THE GODS, a documentary by Jan Schmidt-Garre exploring the origins of Modern Yoga, from its sacred roots to the present day phenomenon it has become. Yogaeasy called BREATH OF THE GODS, "A very beautiful film, enchanting and astute at once. Great", and Elle praised it as "Enlightening".
Alive Mind Cinema, in partnership with Gathr and Origin Magazine, will premiere the film in 20 cities in August, in addition to a community screening campaign targeting Yoga communities. The film will also be available for digital download exclusively from Alive Mind Cinema, followed by a digital release that will include all major VOD platforms in early 2014 along with a DVD release.
In BREATH OF THE GODS, director Jan Schmidt-Garre goes in search of the origins of Modern Yoga, which is practiced by tens of millions of people throughout the world, and originated in the early 20th century through the teachings of Indian savant T. Krishnamacharya. The documentary follows Schmidt-Garre's investigations into authentic yoga, meeting both relatives and students of Krishnamacharya along his journey.
The film features major names of Yoga including Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar. Jan Schmidt-Garre investigates the transformation of Yoga from its introduction to Western culture in the 19th century, when the practice was met with skepticism, to its widespread acceptance gained through Krishnamacharya's teaching. While Yoga today is a billion-dollar industry with many devotees, this film presents the history of an ancient, sacred tradition with roots going back to the god Shiva.
For anybody curious about the roots of Modern Yoga as practiced today, this film provides an in-depth history, placing the practice of yoga in a spiritual context, the practice of which can lead to union with the cosmic Self.
The deal was negotiated by Elizabeth Sheldon, Vice President of Acquisitions and Business Development, on behalf of Kino Lorber and Jan Schmidt-Garre of Pars Media. Sheldon commented, "Alive Mind Cinema looks forward to bringing this stunning and elegant documentary to big screens around the country, providing American audiences a deeper understanding of the roots of modern yoga and its deep connection to an ancient spiritual tradition. In addition, our partnership with Origin Magazine allows us to reach our core demographic."
Origin Magazine is a platform for Art, Culture, Conscious Lifestyle, Humanitarianism, Sustainability and Yoga. Origin Magazine hosts a connected Art+Conscious Community that Collaborates + Creates, builds bridges and breaks barriers. It is a channel for transformation, connection, vision, intention and creation. "Our ambassador program is the grassroots foundation that makes the Origin family strong, supportive, and powerful. Origin ambassadors hold it down in cities across the country, united in a mission of cooperation, collaboration, and creativity through gatherings, launches, and more. This model connects badasses in each city, supporting conscious businesses, artists, yogis, and musicians", explains Origin founder Maranda Pleasant.
"Our Ambassador program is ideal for a community launch such as Alive Mind Cinema's Breath of the Gods, which embodies Origin Magazine's DNA," says Paul Miller, Executive Editor.
For more information, please visit the BREATH OF THE GODS website at AliveMindCinema.com.
New York, NY - January 10, 2013 - The critically acclaimed Palestinian and Israeli co-production 5 BROKEN CAMERAS, co-directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi and distributed in the United States by Kino Lorber Inc., has been nominated by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in the Best Documentary category for the 85th Academy Awards®.
5 BROKEN CAMERAS has also won the top prize (Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking) at yesterday's Cinema Eye awards, presented at The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. Michael Moore gracefully accepted the award for co-Directors Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi.
"It is an unbelievable honor to be associated with a film of such impact and importance," said Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber.
"As unimaginable as it was for this collaborative Palestinian-Israeli film to actually get made, is now the fact that it is being so acclaimed as both a work of art and a landmark political documentary. We are beside ourselves with pride to be the distributor of this unprecedented film."
An extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, 5 BROKEN CAMERAS is a deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil'in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements.
Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the footage was later turned into a galvanizing cinematic experience by co-directors Guy Davidi and Burnat.
Structured around the violent destruction of a succession of Burnat's video cameras, the filmmakers' collaboration follows one family's evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. "I feel like the camera protects me," he says, "but it's an illusion."
BIOS:
Emad Burnat is a Palestinian farmer and a freelance cameraman and photographer. His experience includes filming for TV channels such as Al-Jazeera, Israeli channels 1, 2 and 10, and Palestinian television. He has also worked with Reuters on several occasions, and filmed footage for the documentaries Bil'in, My Love, Palestine Kids, Open Close, and Interrupted Streams, among others.
Born in Jaffa, Israel, Guy Davidi is a documentary filmmaker and cinema teacher. He has been directing, editing, and shooting films since the age of 16. As a cameraman, he shot the films Hamza and Journal D'une Orange for France 3. Davidi also directed many short documentaries such as In Working Progress, Keywords, and Women Defying Barriers, which were presented in film festivals and venues worldwide. In 2010, Guy Davidi's first feature film, Interrupted Streams, premiered to great acclaim at the Jerusalem International Film Festival.
From NeuFutur Magazine,
by James McQuiston, 12/14/12
"Written philosophical tracts are dry. I feel that Being in the World, directed by Tao Ruspoli, will do more for the discussion of philosophy (and in particular, the branch of philosophy influenced by Martin Heidegger) than hundreds of years of treatises have."
Read more: http://neufutur.com/being-in-the-world-dvd/#ixzz2F2cBlXAf
The trailer for BREATH OF THE GODS is now available:
"It's been a while since I've seen a documentary that was so candid, that hit so hard and drew a range of emotions. Having collected multiple film festival awards, Foreign Parts' accolades are well deserved." - Ashley Ratcliff, Home Media Magazine
Click here to read the full review.
From Philip Tatler's review of FOREIGN PARTS in GreenCine:
"...Paravel/Sniadecki have pulled off the rare verite documentary that manages a formal grace and doesn’t patronize or fetishize its subjects."
Read the full review here.
From Bright Lights Film Journal, by Gordon Thomas:
"The 83-minute running time of Willis' documentary may seem brief for disentangling the many threads -- aesthetic, emotional, psychological -- that run like viscera between the members of the Woodman family, but the concision turns out to be a virtue, and the film is probing and revelatory."
Read the full review here.
KINO LORBER ACQUIRES ALL US RIGHTS TO MEET THE FOKKENS, A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT 69-YEAR-OLD TWIN PROSTITUTES AND BROTHEL OWNERS IN AMSTERDAM
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| The Fokkens Sisters |
New York, NY - May 21, 2012 - Kino Lorber is proud to announce the acquisition of all US rights to Meet The Fokkens (Ouwehoeren - 2011), an acclaimed and humorous documentary about 69-year-old twins Louise and Martine Fokkens - and their experience working as prostitutes in the world-famous red-light district in Amsterdam, for over 40 years. The film had its world premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam, and is set to begin its US festival run at the upcoming SilverDocs Film Festival in mid-June.
Directed by Gabrielle Provaas & Rob Schröder (Bonanza), Meet The Fokkens is slated for a theatrical premiere at New York's Film Forum on Wednesday, August 8, 2012. The film will expand to major markets in September and October 2012.
For over fifty years, Louise and Martine Fokkens worked as prostitutes in Amsterdam's red-light district. After a rough start, the sisters freed themselves from the control of their pimps, ran their own brothel, and set up the first informal trade union for prostitutes. They are familiar faces in Amsterdam's Red Light District ... But soon, they will bid their farewells to their profession.
Representing the old-fashioned side of Dutch prostitution that has now become almost extinct, Meet The Fokkens depicts two sisters who are proud of the lives they lead. With courage and an unapologetic attitude, the sisters share many tales of how they entered into this line of work, how they eventually went into business for themselves, and how relationships in the world of prostitution have changed over the years.
Kino Lorber's Vice President Elizabeth Sheldon, who negotiated the deal with Peter Jager, CEO of Autlook Films, commented: "When I saw Louise and Martine on the big screen, I was charmed by their stories, their wry humor and their spirit."
"Meet the Fokkens," continues Sheldon, "is an important addition to our collection of films that openly explore sexuality and never more uniquely than with this witty tribute to twin pioneers of the oldest profession."
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES IMAGES
About Kino Lorber:
With a library of 700 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent distribution for over 30 years, releasing over 20 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, Redemption Films, Horizon Movies and Alive Mind Cinema banners.
In addition, the Company brings over 60 titles each year to the home entertainment market with DVD and Blu-ray releases as well as digital distribution on over 15 internet platforms and VOD services.
Kino Lorber is currently releasing the French drama Elles, directed by Malgoska Szumowska and starring Juliette Binoche, and will open Yorgos Lanthimos' Alps, the follow-up to the Academy Award-Nominated Dogtooth, on July 13 in New York City.
From MovieGazetteOnline.com:
"Thinking of all the reviews I've written from 1999 up to now, and of reviews to come, for however longer I do this, I don't think I'll ever come upon another documentary as incredible as Raw Faith, as touching, as awe-inspiring, and as inspiring. More than just documentaries, this rises above everything I've ever reviewed. At their best, this is what movies can do. It should become standard inspiration to those who want to do themselves what has been done here. The world could use more people like Marilyn Sewell, and more filmmakers like Peter Weidensmith." - Rory L. Aronsky, MovieGazetteOnline.com
Read the full review here.
New York, NY - May 4, 2012 - Alive Mind Cinema is proud to announce the DVD release of Raw Faith (2010), an intimate and revealing documentary by Peter Wiedensmith that follows two years in the private life of Marilyn Sewell, an outspoken and socially progressive Unitarian minister who has re-energized her Portland community.
Raw Faith (2010) comes to DVD on June 5th, with a SRP of $29.95. The DVD comes with special features including additional interviews with Marilyn, in which she speaks about her work as a minister; deleted scenes, including Marilyn's trip to the nation's capitol and Marilyn's successful efforts to create a "hate-free zone" in her church, creating an environment where all are welcome; and a theatrical trailer for the film.
Raw Faith provides a record of Marilyn's difficult decision to leave her position as senior minister at the First Unitarian Church of Portland, and her emotional journey as she falls in love. While serving a community that relies on her for wisdom and advice (on both personal and ethical issues), Marilyn struggles quietly with decisions about her own future. As she seeks to reconcile the commitments of her profession with a longing for intimacy and love, childhood memories of mental illness and alcoholism come back to the surface - and must be dealt with before she can move forward.
As Marilyn's life unfolds in front of the camera (in real time), she shares her journey with remarkable candor, humor and increasing wisdom, ultimately leading her to an unexpected revelation of faith and love in all of its guises.
Marilyn Sewell is one of only a small group of women who have led a large church of any faith, growing the membership of the First Unitarian Church of Portland to 1600 during her time as senior minister. In making this documentary, Marilyn opened her life completely to director Peter Wiedensmith's camera, allowing him to record her deeply personal and honest thoughts over the course of 18 months of filming.
Raw Faith features an original song by Sheryl Crow, "Love Will Remain", which the singer wrote for the film after listening to Marilyn's inspiring sermons during her battle with breast cancer. Raw Faith allows viewers to experience Marilyn's inspiring words and to share her remarkable journey.
Extras: Additional Interviews Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer
16:9 * 92 minutes Not Rated * Color 2.0 Dolby Digital
Raw Faith (2010) Director: Peter Wiedensmith Genre: Documentary SRP: $29.95 Street date: June 5, 2012