Film and television distributor FilmRise announced today that it has acquired the exclusive North American distribution rights for the Sundance sensation “The Greasy Strangler.” The film will play as a “Festival Favorite” in the SXSW Film Festival later this month and will receive a theatrical release in fall 2016. FilmRise will collaborate with Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in a multi-market theatrical partnership to release the film, a coproduction from SpectreVision, Drafthouse, Rook Films and Timpson Films.
Picked up by the distributor following its raucous world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, “The Greasy Strangler” follows Ronnie, a man who runs a disco walking tour along with his browbeat son, Brayden. When an alluring woman comes to take the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her attentions. It also signals the appearance of an oily, slimy, inhuman maniac who stalks the streets at night and strangles the innocent — soon dubbed ‘The Greasy Strangler.’
The film is the feature debut of director Jim Hosking (“Renegades,” “ABCs of Death 2”) and is produced by: SpectreVision’s Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah, and Josh C. Waller (“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” “Cooties”); Rook Films’ Andrew Starke (Duke of Burgundy); and Timpson Films’ founder Ant Timpson (“Turbo Kid,” “Housebound”). Drafthouse’s Tim League, writer/director Ben Wheatley and Theo Brooks serve as Executive Producers.
The Guardian proclaimed the film as “a welcome oasis of filth, depravity and shock…a state of mind no shortage of film-makers have attempted to capture on film before, but few have done so well.” IndieWire’s Russ Fischer wrote, “If “Barton Fink” was made by John Waters, this is the sort of movie he’d write. I haven’t stopped thinking about the film since its debut…there’s a real pleasure in having a new event movie for the truly weird at heart.”
“We are pleased to announce that we have acquired this Sundance standout,” said Danny Fisher, CEO of FilmRise. “’The Greasy Strangler’ defies genres and surprises audiences with its originality, and we are confident that fans of the truly bizarre will enjoy what this film has to offer upon its theatrical release this fall.”
“After the incredible response we received at Sundance, I am beyond thrilled that FilmRise will be releasing ‘The Greasy Strangler’ in theaters for more audiences to discover,” said director Jim Hosking. “I set out to make a truly unique movie-going experience, and I am so happy that I can now share my feature debut with others.”
The deal was negotiated by Fisher and FilmRise’s VP of Acquisitions Max Einhorn with CAA. Protagonist Pictures is handling International Sales.
ABOUT FILMRISE
FilmRise is a film and TV distribution company founded by veteran producer/financiers Danny Fisher, Jack Fisher and Alan Klingenstein. With over 6,000 titles in a wide range of genres, the company’s film acquisitions and releases include HBO’s multiple Emmy®-winning “Going Clear” and “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Amy J. Berg and produced by Oscar®-winner Alex Gibney. Television titles include hit series such as Showtime’s Emmy®-winning “Years of Living Dangerously,” and the longest running true crime show on television “Forensic Files.” Titles are in release digitally on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, VUDU, Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Crackle and other platforms, and on DVD and BluRay on Amazon and over 200 online retailers, including Walmart and Barnes & Noble. FilmRise’s recent acquisitions are two-time Academy Award®-nominee Julie Delpy’s “Lolo”; the Star Wars documentary “Elstree 1976”; the acclaimed true crime documentary “The Witness”; “Five Nights in Maine,” starring Oscar®-winner Dianne Wiest, David Oyelowo, and Oscar®-nominee Rosie Perez; and the Sundance documentary “Holy Hell.” For more information go to: www.FilmRise.com
