Image Entertainment and Celluloid Dreams announce 3 pic deal

Image Entertainment, a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America, announced a three-film distribution agreement with independent production company Celluloid Dreams.

The deal was brokered by Celluloid president Hengameh Panahi and Image Entertainment UK’s managing director Wendy Rutland.

“We are very pleased to be acquiring three films of such a high caliber from Celluloid Dreams,” said Rutland. “We have been aggressively intensifying our hunt for quality feature films, and we are looking forward to working with Celluloid Dreams as we increase our ever-growing roster of titles.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Image Entertainment will acquire the North American distribution rights for “Far North” and U.S. rights for “The Color of Freedom” (originally released as “Goodbye Bafana”) and “Emotional Arithmetic.” “The Color of Freedom” has been signed and is slated for DVD release on May 20; release dates for the other two films will be set promptly upon final signature.

“The Color of Freedom” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and stars Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert and Diana Kruger. It tells the true story of James Gregory, a white South African prison guard whose views were altered by the prisoner he guarded for twenty years – Nelson Mandela. The film was directed by Bille August, winner of The Peace Film Award and produced by Jean-Luc Van Damme of Banana Films, Ilann Girard of Arsam International and Andro Steinborn of X Filme Creative Poole.

“Far North” is a dark epic thriller about two women’s battle for survival in the remote, desolate Arctic Tundra. When a strange man unexpectedly arrives at their camp, jealousy plays out with terrifying and horrific consequences as they compete for his affection. Directed by Asif Kapadia, the film stars Michelle Yeoh, Sean Bean and Michelle Krusiec.

“Emotional Arithmetic” premiered as Toronto’s closing night film and boasts a heavyweight line-up of first class acting talent including Susan Sarandon, Gabriel Byrne, Max Von Sydow, Christopher Plummer and Roy Dupuis. The film, directed by Paolo Barzman, tells the story of three people who formed a life-long bond while housed at a World War II detention camp reuniting after 35 years. The separation from each other inflicted deep emotional wounds grossly impacting their lives in the years leading up to the life-altering reunion.

Celluloid Dreams was founded by its President, Hengameh Panahi in 1993. The organization is an independent international sales, production and distribution company based in Paris. Celluloid Dreams specializes in promoting and distributing award-winning films created by talented directors from all over the world.

Image Entertainment is a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and approximately 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights and, through its subsidiary Egami Media, Inc., has digital download rights to approximately 2,000 video programs and over 300 audio programs containing more than 4,500 tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Image Entertainment, go to www.image-entertainment.com.