Cinedigm Acquires North American Rights to Class Rank
February 22 2018 - 1:09PM
Cinedigm Corp (NASDAQ:CIDM) has acquired all North American
distribution rights to the offbeat high school comedy CLASS RANK,
directed by Eric Stoltz. Cinedigm will release the picture
theatrically and on Digital and TV VOD on May 11, 2018, with a DVD
Release to follow in June 2018, and an SVOD premiere later in 2018.
Rising stars, Olivia Holt (Disney’s XD’s KICKIN’ IT), who will
be seen next in the upcoming Freeform series, Marvel’s CLOAK AND
DAGGER, and Skyler Gisondo (Netflix’s SANTA CLARITA DIET,
VACATION), topline the picture. Kristin Chenoweth (THE BOY NEXT
DOOR, GLEE) and two-time Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern
(NEBRASKA, HICKOK) round out the cast.
Shaun Sanghani produced and financed the film via his company
SSS Entertainment producing alongside with Sandy Stern of Single
Cell Pictures. Written by Benjamin August, the picture is helmed by
actor-turned-director, Eric Stoltz (MASK, PULP FICTION), currently
an Executive Producer on CBS’ MADAME SECRETARY.
In CLASS RANK, two high school outsiders, Veronica (Holt), a
type-A personality with Ivy League aspirations and Bernard
(Gisondo), a quirky nerd, join forces to overtake the local school
board and eliminate the class-ranking system. Guided by their
families, the two enter the perilous world of local politics and,
in the process, learn a thing or two about love.
CLASS RANK won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at
the 2017 Maui Film Festival, while Holt won Best Acting awards for
her performance at both the 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival and
Newport Beach Film Festival.
“CLASS RANK is a smart, funny and warm-hearted picture that
carries an empowering message for young people to speak up and not
be afraid to challenge the status quo,” said Yolanda Macias,
Cinedigm’s Executive Vice-President of Acquisitions. “Olivia and
Skyler both shine as the young leads, and Eric’s incisive direction
perfectly captures both those awkward, hilarious high school
moments as well as those first brave steps we take toward finding
ourselves and our voices.”
“We were immediately impressed with Cinedigm’s energy,
enthusiasm and distribution strategy for CLASS RANK,” said the
film’s producers, Shaun Sanghani and Sandy Stern. “They are
collaborative partners who truly support independent filmmaking,
and we are excited to partner with them on our picture."
The deal was negotiated by Melody Fowler, Vice-President of
Acquisitions for Cinedigm, and Andre Relis, President of VMI
Worldwide, on behalf of the filmmakers.
About VMI Worldwide
VMI Worldwide is one of the leading, intercontinental sales,
film finance and production companies based in the heart of the
movie making capital of the world, Hollywood, California. Founded
in 2010 by Andre Relis, VMI has an impeccable reputation in the
industry by building a strong collaborative and transparent
relationship with filmmakers, financiers, and distributors. VMI’s
mandate is to support high quality independent filmmaking from all
sides of the spectrum. By bringing together visionary talented
filmmakers and collaborating with financiers and distributors, VMI
empowers its filmmakers by providing the support needed to
facilitate production. VMI's goal is to establish long-term
partnerships by building strong and honest relationships, while
acquiring and producing cast driven, commercial and marketable
feature films, documentaries and TV content.
About Cinedigm
Cinedigm powers custom content solutions to the world’s largest
retail, media and technology companies. The company provides
premium feature films and series to digital platforms including
iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon, cable and satellite providers
including Comcast, Dish Network and DirecTV, and major retailers
including Walmart and Target. Leveraging Cinedigm’s unique
capabilities, content and technology, the company has emerged as a
leader in the fast-growing over-the-top (OTT) channel business,
currently with four channels under management that reach hundreds
of millions of devices, while also providing premium content and
service expertise to the entire OTT ecosystem. Learn more about
Cinedigm at www.cinedigm.com.
In November 2017, Bison Capital became the beneficial
owner of the majority of Cinedigm’s outstanding Class A Common
Stock. Bison Capital is a Hong Kong-based investment company
with a focus on the media and entertainment, healthcare and
financial service industries. Founded by Mr. Peixin Xu in 2014,
Bison Capital has made multiple investments in film and TV
production, film distribution and entertainment-related mobile
Internet services.
Cinedigm is now working closely with Bison Capital to develop
plans and forge partnerships to release entertainment content and
develop OTT channels in China while, reciprocally, releasing
Chinese content and new OTT channels in North America.
Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are trademarks of
Cinedigm Corp. www.cinedigm.com. [CIDM-G]
Jill Newhouse CalcaterraPhone
Number: +1-310-466-5135Email: jcalcaterra@cinedigm.com
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