SnagFilms to Distribute 2012 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award Winner “The House I Live In” and 2012 SXSW Film Festival Grand Jury Award Winner “Beware of Mr. Baker”
SnagFilms Also Acquires Six Acclaimed Titles: “Harlan County USA”, “American Dream,” “Waco: The Rules of Engagement,” “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg,” “Fuel” and “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg”
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SnagFilms announced today the acquisition of domestic distribution rights to the two most honored documentaries of 2012: The House I Live In, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and Beware of Mr. Baker, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, Reagan), tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America’s war on drugs. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
Beware of Mr. Baker, directed by Jay Bulger, is an intimate look at legendary drummer Ginger Baker, best known for his work with Eric Clapton in Cream and Blind Faith. Considered by many to be the world’s best drummer, this controversial and unforgettable musician reflects back on his life along with interviews with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts, Max Weinberg and many more.
Digital distribution is expected to cover key pay platforms and eventual ad-supported release on snagfilms.com. Richard Abramowitz’s Abramorama will handle theatrical releasing for both films.
“We’ve heard a lot about Dream Teams recently,” said Rick Allen, SnagFilms CEO. “But the year’s top two documentary winners, plus six time-honored titles, constitute the Doc Dream Team. We are honored to be bringing them to wide audiences.”
The House I Live In was directed and written by Eugene Jarecki and produced by Jarecki and Melinda Shopsin. Executive Producers are Danny Glover, Nick Fraser, John Legend, Russell Simmons, Joslyn Barnes and Sally Jo Fifer. www.thehouseilivein.org
Beware of Mr. Baker was directed and written by Jay Bulger and produced by Andrew Karsch, Fisher Stevens and Erik Gordon, executive producer Julie Goldman. http://bewareofmrbaker.com/
In addition to these two award-winning titles, SnagFilms has also acquired a slate of six acclaimed films, including Academy Award-winners Harlan County USA and American Dream; the Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winner Waco: The Rules of Engagement; Peabody and Critics Choice Award winner The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg; Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner Fuel and the critically-acclaimed Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. SnagFilms’ digital rights are exclusive for certain pay, SVOD and ad-supported platforms to commence in the coming months.
These announcements come on the heels of a string of major 2012 acquisitions by the new media platform and distributor, which have seen it add films with over 200 major awards or nominations to its library of over 3300 films. The company has increasingly taken premiering films, including the upcoming theatrical and digital release of Decoding Deepak, Gotham Chopra’s new film about his father Deepak Chopra, and The Black Tulip from filmmaker Sonia Nassery Cole, plus the upcoming digital premieres of Faces in the Mirror from musician Boyd Tinsley and We Made This Movie from “The Late Show with David Letterman” executive producer Rob Burnett.
More information about these titles:
Academy Award-winner Harlan County USA – included in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board; named as a Top Ten Film by the National Board of Review; and honored by the LA Film Critics Association. Barbara Kopple’s classic documentary details the bitter and often violent struggle between coal miners and management in Appalachian Kentucky, with a close focus on the women who actively organized and spearheaded efforts to keep the cause alive with their strength and courage.
Academy Award-winner American Dream – another classic documentary from filmmaker Barbara Kopple, recounts the months long strike of a Minnesota Hormel factory and captures working men and women making tough choices about survival during a time of economic crisis in the American Midwest. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded the Documentary Audience Award, the Documentary Grand Jury Prize, and the Documentary Filmmaker Trophy, the only non-fiction film to win all three distinctions.
The Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Waco: The Rules of Engagement – from director William Gazecki, the controversial documentary about the stand-off between an unorthodox Christian group - the Branch Davidians, under the leadership of the young, charismatic David Koresh - and the FBI and ATF in Waco, Texas.
The Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated and multiple critics’ award-winner The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg – from filmmaker Aviva Kempner, the story of Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star in the Major League.
Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winner Fuel -- from director Josh Tickell, a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is takes on big industry, big government and America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Cine Golden Eagle Award-winner, Women’s Film Critic Circle Award-winner and New York Times Critics Pick Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg -- the humorous and eye-opening story of television pioneer Gertrude Berg, also from filmmaker Aviva Kempner.
About SnagFilms
SnagFilms features free, sponsor-supported, on demand viewing of more than 3,300 award-winning, fiction and non-fiction titles from some of the greatest names in film. SnagFilms’ curated collection is viewed on its own site and a digital network of more than 110,000 affiliated sites and webpages worldwide, including partners such as Comcast's Xfinity, Hulu, the Starbucks Digital Network, IMDb, hundreds of non-profits, special interest sites and blogs — and via its applications for tablets, including Apple’s iPad (AirPlay-enabled), Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Blackberry Playbook and other Android-based tablets; Android smartphones; OTT platforms Roku, Boxee and Western Digital; connected TVs and blu-ray players from Sony, Panasonic, LG and Vizio, and soon to launch on connected TVs and blu-ray players from Samsung. SnagFilms’ titles have been featured on more than 3.5 billion pageviews across its network.
SnagFilms also offers selected titles via pay video on demand with Comcast, iN Demand (including Time Warner Cable, Cox and Bright House Networks), Verizon's FiOS and DIRECTV, as well as on iTunes, Hulu Plus, Amazon, VUDU, Xbox Live, Google Play, YouTube Movies, and will soon be launching on DISH Network and Samsung Media Hub. SnagFilms was named one of the fastest growing technology companies in Washington, DC area. Gizmodo has named SnagFilms as a “Best iPad App,” OVGuide has twice named SnagFilms a Top Site, and MovieMaker Magazine named SnagFilms to its annual list of “50 Best Websites for Moviemakers.” The SnagFilms family also includes Indiewire, for more than 15 years the web’s top source of news, reviews and information about independent film – and winner of the 2012 Webby Award as the top film and movie site.
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