In a unique distribution arrangement, two-year-old production-finance company Cinemax has partnered with several companies to handle the release of Richard Linklater’s “Me and Orson Welles,” starring Zac Efron and Claire Danes.
“We’ve developed what we believe is an exciting roadmap for distributing this film, one we hope will pave the way for many others to come,” said Steve Christian, Chairman of Cinemanx. “The climate is such that there are fewer homes for films of this quality and budget range and it is important to create new options."
The film will be released in a limited run on Nov. 25th by Freestyle Releasing.
But several other companies are involved with the film on every level: Warner Bros. Home Video, will handle the DVD release; Louisville-based Hart/Lunsford Pictures is funding the print and advertising costs; John Sloss’ Cinetic Media is handling the film’s sales and Russell Schwartz's Pandemic Marketing, will handle marketing.
“Cinemanx is pioneering this type of U.S. distribution strategy, and I think that says a lot about the (company's) vision," said Linklater.
"Me and Orson Welles" is a romantic, coming-of-age story about a teenage actor who lucks into a role in “Julius Caesar” as it’s being re-imagined by a young Orson Welles at his newly-founded Mercury Theater in NYC, 1937.
