Based on best-selling book by Noah Levine, film delves into America’s urban punk Buddhist scene.

Prebooks August 18^th through E1 Entertainment Distribution, street date September 15^th

New York, NY – August 11, 2009 – MEDITATE AND DESTROY profiles the persona who quite possibly represents America’s most unexpected Buddhist:  former punk rocker and juvenile delinquent Noah Levine, bestselling author of the book Dharma Punx.  As a teenager, Levine was mired in an abyss of violence, drug and alcohol abuse – and criminal detention.  When he hit bottom, attempting suicide in juvenile jail in the late 80’s, Levine received a phone call from his father who instructed him how to take baby steps toward initiating meditation practice.  Knowing that he either need to die or to change, Levine tested meditation and felt a glimmer of freedom from his intense suffering. Today, Levine is a respected teacher and figure in what is perhaps the most unconventional Buddhist community in the country:  the “Dpunx Nation.”  Staking claim to his egalitarian urban vision, Levine states that “Buddhism is not just for hippies anymore” as he reaches out to a new generation of youths who are turning to meditation as they seek a departure from their lives of drugs, violence and crime. In major cities throughout America, these unlikely Buddhists find comfort – and affinity – in Levine’s approach.  Today, New York, Hollywood, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boulder and Portland all host regular Dharma Punx-inspired meditation groups that allow punks to develop their own awareness on a deep level while retaining their edge and individuality.

MEDITATE AND DESTROY is the definitive documentary film about the Dharma Punx nation, its roots and continued expansion in U.S. cities.

Synopsis

MEDITATE AND DESTROY profiles bestselling author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream

Noah Levine and his journey from a life of addiction and violence to that of dedicated meditation teacher and community leader. Interviews with family and friends, including renowned Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, illustrate the driving forces that compelled Levine to turn to Buddhism, while conversations with his students testify to a man whose candor inspires others to integrate Buddhist teachings of nonviolence and inner peace with the experiences and challenges of Generation X.

New York, NY, July 1, 2009 - On Independence Day weekend, the newly branded Lorber Films will open its first two theatrical releases in New York City to be followed by engagements in other markets around the country. On Friday, July 3, the new company will open the award-winning Chilean film TONY MANERO at Cinema Village in New York, and the acclaimed Sundance documentary NOLLYWOOD BABYLON, about the burgeoning, homegrown Nigerian cinema industry, at The Museum of Modern Art where it will enjoy a week-long run.

Company President and CEO Richard Lorber notes, "Throughout my 28-year-career I've launched labels with excellent partners, first as Fox Lorber in 1981 and more recently as Koch Lorber. Well, I have new partners now but no one's asking for marquee billing, so this Independence Day we're launching - just - Lorber Films. And we reasonably expect fireworks!"

Lorber Films is the specialty film releasing label for arthouse, foreign language and documentary features of Lorber HT Digital, which also releases documentaries in the areas of enlightened consciousness and cultural transformation through its Alive Mind label. Working in the company along side Richard Lorber, President and CEO, are key executives Elizabeth Sheldon, Vice President of Acquisitions and Ray Privett, Director of Theatrical and Festival Distribution.

Also coming up from Lorber Films is THE SUN, Aleksandr Sokurov's epic humanistic portrait of the Japanese people and their Emperor at the end of WWII.

About TONY MANERO
The highly anticipated disco-psycho drama TONY MANERO, by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, was the official selection of Chile to the 81st Academy Awards, and has been honored as an official selection of the New York Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival and the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Set on the streets of Santiago, Chile in 1978 to the throbbing backbeat of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack punctuated by the random thrashings of Pinochet's military, TONY MANERO reveals a palpably gritty alternate reality to the days of disco in 1970s America.

Current engagements for as follows - dates subject to change:

New York, NY - Cinema Village, July 3, open-ended
Columbus, OH - Wexner Center, July 10, limited engagement
Los Angeles, CA - Laemmle Music Hall, July 17, open-ended
Kansas City, MO - Screenland, July 24, open-ended, though only on weekends
Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Cinematheque, August 14, limited engagement
Seattle, WA - Northwest Film Forum, August 21, open-ended
Nashville, TN - The Belcourt, September 11, open-ended
San Francisco, CA - Sundance Kabuki, September 11, open-ended
Minneapolis, MN - The Walker, September 11 weekend, limited
Silver Spring, MD - late September, date TBD, as part of a festival at the AFI, limited
Portland, OR - October 9, The Hollywood, open-ended
Rochester, NY - November 13-14, George Eastman House, limited engagement

About NOLLYWOOD BABYLON
NOLLYWOOD BABYLON chronicles the wild world of "Nollywood," a term coined in the early ‘90s to describe the world's fastest-growing national cinema, surpassed only by its Indian counterpart. The film delves first-hand into Nigeria's explosive homegrown movie industry, where Jesus and voodoo vie for screen time. Peppered with outrageously juicy movie clips and buoyed by a rousing score fusing Afropop and traditional sounds, NOLLYWOOD BABYLON celebrates the distinctive power of Nigerian cinema as it marvels in the magic of movies.

Current engagements for as follows - dates subject to change:

New Orleans, LA - The Zeitgeist, currently on screen
Seattle, WA - Grand Illusion, currently on screen
Oklahoma City, OK - Oklahoma City Museum of Art, opens July 9
Austin, TX - Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz, plays August 12-9
Albuquerque, NM - The Guild, opens September 13
Hartford, CT- Real Art Ways, TBD
Bellingham, WA - Pickford Cinema, TBD

About Lorber HT Digital

Lorber HT Digital acquires, co-produces and markets specialty feature film and documentary programming for targeted interest groups via theatrical release, digital delivery, direct-to-consumer DVDs, and traditional retail video distribution as well as to the educational market.

Under its specialty distribution arm Lorber Films, the company will continue a long tradition of presenting a carefully-curated slate of films each year, including the best of arthouse and foreign language film culled from the world cinema stage.

Through its other specialty label Alive Mind, Lorber HT Digital seeks "aha! response" content with an intellectual pedigree for critical thinkers and enlightened believers alike. Its content specialty is "transformative" programming centered in the domains of spirituality, consciousness, culture and the frontiers of science. Current releases under the Alive Mind label include the documentary film on the generation-changing stage sensation Hair: Let the Sun Shine In; Antonio Ferrera and Albert Maysels' landmark documentary, The Gates; John Walter's acclaimed documentary Theater of War featuring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline; Intangible Asset #82, Emma Franz' electrifying debut documentary about Australian drummer Simon Barker's search for his muse, Korean Shaman Kim Seok-Chul; Fierce Light, Velcrow Ripper's groundbreaking documentary film and odyssey on spiritual activism, the Palestinian-Israeli comedy sensation Arab Labor, and other titles soon to be announced. Alive Mind titles are released to the theatrical, educational, and direct-to-consumer and traditional retail DVD markets. Visit our site at www.AliveMind.net.

Lorber HT Digital also partners with producers of non-fiction television and feature documentaries that appeal to wider audiences. The company seeks distinguished projects that tell captivating stories, focus on unique individuals, and engage universal themes. It represents such programs worldwide for traditional television and DVD licensing as well as co-production financing. Visit our site at LorberHTDigital.com

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Media contact: Julia Pacetti, juliapacetti@earthlink.net, (917) 584-7846

Company to release Aleksandr Sokurov’s epic humanistic portrait of the Japanese people and their Emperor at the end of WWII

Cannes, France – May 14, 2009 – Richard Lorber announced in Cannes today that Lorber HT Digital has acquired all U.S. rights to THE SUN, the third feature film in Aleksandr Sokurov’s (Russian Ark, Aleksandra) “Dictator Trilogy” focusing on Japanese emperor Hirohito and his climactic surrender to General MacArthur at the end of World War II. The deal was negotiated by Joy Wong, Head of U.K.-based The Works International and Richard Lorber and Ray Privett, Director of Sales and Distribution, on behalf of Lorber HT Digital for release by the company’s theatrical releasing arm, Lorber Films.

THE SUN will premiere theatrically at New York’s Film Forum in November followed by a national release continuing into 2010.

Richard Lorber states, “We have been pursuing this remarkable film for over three years and are delighted to finally make it available to long time Sokurov fans who have been clamoring for it as well as film lovers who may be new to his oeuvre. Since Russian Ark which was released by my former company every new Sokurov is an event but THE SUN we believe will shine the brightest.”

The first two films in Sokurov’s trilogy are Moloch (1999), about Hitler and Eva Braun and Taurus (2001), which focused on Vladmir Lenin at the end of his life.  THE SUN is the first in the series to enjoy a U.S. theatrical release. Ranked by Sight and Sound as one of the Top Ten Films of 2005, THE SUN was a nominee for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and has played many prestigious festival dates garnering awards around the world.

In the summer of 1945, with Tokyo under siege by American forces, Japanese Emperor Hirohito remains in seclusion from the world in an underground bunker.  Held by his people as a deity, the incarnation of the Sun God, Hirohito is sheltered from the devastation that surrounds him as he is waited on hand and foot by his servants.  After the razing of Tokyo and bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hirohito finally meets with General MacArthur.  And, in August, millions of Japanese citizens are stunned to hear the voice of their Emperor for the first time as he commands his people to cease all fighting.  The address saves the lives of countless Japanese and Allied forces alike, but the victorious powers insist that Emperor Hirohito appear before a military tribunal for war crimes.  Sokurov’s fascinating film chronicles the events leading up to Hirohito’s monumental speech, the historic renunciation of his divine status and his meetings with General MacArthur, who advises his own President not to declare the Japanese leader a war criminal.  Featuring a power-house central performance by Issey Ogata (Yi Yi), Sokurov creates an intimate human portrait of the infamous Emperor Hirohito as he faces the unraveling of his own power, and the tragedy that besets his country.

In an interview with the British Film Institute, director Aleksandr Sokurov, who spent ten years researching the film in Japan, states, “This is not a documentary and not a political film…We all know what happened to Japan:  Japan was very aggressive, invaded other countries and had to pay the price.  What I was interested in was the art, the life and the people…Only gradually did I start to understand this character.   I was attracted by this person as an individual and as a historical figure but I was also attracted by the fact that he existed in specific and very unusual surroundings.   I suddenly saw the image of a person who is a humanist but is directly connected to war, murder, massacre and evil.  So the situation was close to mythology.”

About Lorber Films

Lorber Films is the theatrical and DVD releasing arm of Lorber HT Digital, that specializes in award-winning international films, classics and documentary features.  Upcoming releases include Tony Manero, the highly-anticipated Chilean film by Pablo Larraín which played at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes 2008, and Sundance Film Festival favorite Nollywood Babylon, about the burgeoning, homegrown Nigerian film industry.  Both films will launch with theatrical releases this summer in New York.  Lorber Films, the successor to Richard Lorber’s previous theatrical releasing companies Fox Lorber Films (which subsequently became Wellspring) and Koch Lorber Films, plans eight to ten theatrical releases per year with an additional ten to twelve DVD releases per year.

Media contact &     Julia Pacetti
screener requests:    juliapacetti@earthlink.net, (917) 584-7846

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New York, NY – April 29, 2009 – Lorber HT Digital has acquired all U.S. rights to FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION, a breakthrough feature documentary from Velcrow Ripper that premieres as an official selection next week at Hot Docs, the international documentary festival in Toronto. Ripper is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker best known for Scared Sacred – Winner, Special Jury Prize, Toronto Film Festival, and Bones of the Forest – Winner, Best of the Festival, Hot Docs.  The deal was negotiated by Christina Rogers for the National Film Board of Canada and by Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon on behalf of Lorber HT Digital for release on their specialty label, Alive Mind.  Also at Hot Docs will be another recently announced Lorber acquisition, INTANGIBLE ASSET #82, Emma Franz’ electrifying debut documentary about Australian drummer Simon Barker’s search for his muse, Korean Shaman Kim Seok-Chul.

FIERCE LIGHT will open theatrically at select venues in the second quarter of this year.  At the same time Alive Mind Education will offer it with public performance rights to educational and cultural institutions.  Consumers will be able to purchase DVD’s for home use at the end of 2009 or early 2010.

Lorber HT Digital will offer both FIERCE LIGHT and INTANGIBLE ASSET #82 to the public from MyFilmblog.com, a Lorber HT Digital affiliate.  MyFilmBlog.com is a new online social networking platform where filmmakers can interact directly with their audience, and users can join the community and watch films on demand from home or on the go. Visitors may purchase a seven day VOD ticket and apply the cost to the purchase of the DVD when released directly from Alive Mind’s website.  The two films will be available via VOD effective immediately, giving viewers across America a chance to actively participate in the Hot Docs festival experience and support the filmmakers.  VOD tickets will remain available throughout the theatrical and DVD release of each film.


Industry pioneer Richard Lorber states, “FIERCE LIGHT embodies the Alive Mind label:  spiritual activism transforming our world.  We are proud to be releasing this definitive film and working with Velcrow who has set the highest standard in this genre. By offering FIERCE LIGHT via video-on-demand, we are reaching beyond the Hot Docs audience to Velcrow’s fan base and the wide community that embraces his message of transformation through action in the digital age.”

Velcrow Ripper adds, “I am thrilled to be working with Alive Mind on the release of FIERCE LIGHT.  The philosophy that guides their collection is ideal for a film such as mine, which explores spiritual activism and the transformation of our world one person at a time.  Their distribution approach, which taps into the same kind of DIY people power that drove Obama into office, represents the future of independent film distribution.  I look forward to working closely with them to help build a movement around this film.”

FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION is inspired by the death of director Velcrow Ripper’s friend, media activist Brad Will.  Brad was shot to death in Oaxaca, Mexico while videotaping protests against State Governor, Ulises Ruiz, who employed violence in an effort to subdue a peaceful protest by striking teachers.  From Mexico, Velcrow circumnavigates the world, asking how peaceful activism, which has inspired so much of his work, can still be effective in our ruthless socio-political environment.

FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION is a National Film Board of Canada/Fierce Light Film co-production, and was executive produced by Mark Achbar (The Corporation – Winner, Audience Award, Sundance 2004).  The film features such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Alice Walker; Buddhist peace-activist monk Thich Nhat Hanh; famed tree-sitter Julia Butterfly Hill; Hollywood celebrity turned spiritual activist Daryl Hannah; dharma punk, Noah Levine, and many more.

Synopsis

In these times of crisis, there is an electric charge in the air, a burgeoning renewal amongst both people who have focused their lives on the spiritual, and those whose lives are centered around the struggle for change. Featuring Velcrow Ripper’s stunning cinematography, a compelling soundtrack, and dramatic stories of resistance and transformation, FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION is a feature documentary that captures this exciting movement of Spiritual Activism that is exploding around the planet and the powerful personalities who are igniting it.

Fueled by the belief that “another world” is possible, Ripper seeks out today’s stories of what Martin Luther King called “Love in Action,” and what Gandhi called “Soul Force.”  Ripper calls this uncompromisingly non-violent phenomenon “Fierce Light,” and attests that it is this very spirit that swept Barack Obama into the White House.  This is a film that reveals what is possible when human beings, faced with a world in crisis, rise to their absolute best.

About Alive Mind

Alive Mind releases documentary programming in the areas of enlightened consciousness and cultural transformation.  Alive Mind was launched by industry pioneer Richard Lorber as a specialty distribution arm of his new company, Lorber HT Digital.  The company seeks to provide its audience with intellectually provocative work from leading filmmakers that delivers the “aha” response of a transformative experience.  Current releases include the documentary film on the generation-changing stage sensation Hair:  Let the Sun Shine In; Academy Award®-winning director Jessica Yu’s Protagonist; and, the internationally acclaimed FLicKeR about Brion Gysin, visionary artist and beat generation inventor of the “Dreamachine.”   Alive Mind’s upcoming releases include Antonio Ferrera and Albert  Maysles’ landmark documentary, The Gates; John Walter’s critically-hailed documentary Theater of War featuring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline; Sundance Film Festival favorite Nollywood Babylon, about the burgeoning Nigerian film industry.

Media contact &    Julia Pacetti
screener requests:    juliapacetti@earthlink.net, (917) 584-7846

From Dr. Reiner Moritz's Poorhouse International, the company has acquired the acclaimed 2008 film of the theatre production "Mabou Mines Dollhouse," based on Ibsen's play, reinterpreted for modern audiences. Continuing in the theatre vein, Alive Mind has pacted with esteemed French producer and archive, INA for the timely documentary, "HAIR: Let the Sun Shine In" ; the company is releasing it in theatres and on video just as the original musical has reopened on Broadway. From U.S. sales agent Forward Entertainment, Alive Mind is also releasing another important stage-based documentary, Theater of War Starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline-- a masterful interpretation of Brecht's epic war indictment, Mother Courage and Her Children.

Finally, with an eye toward theatrical release Lorber will bring the latest from legendary documentarian Albert Maysles and HBO, The Gates. Thirty years in the making, the film chronicles the journey of world-renowned artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to achieve the transformation of Central Park with their visionary installation, which drew over 4 million visitors.

"Our strategy," comments Lorber, "is focused on expanding the market for quality documentaries through targeted cross-platform distribution. We release our films theatrically in cinemas but also through non-traditional screening venues, such as museums and community centers. This builds cumulative critical reputation and establishes value when we offer our titles to universities, libraries and eventually to consumers, via all video, retail and digital platforms."

Lorber's Alive Mind catalog now includes over fifty curatorially significant titles in categories he describes as "transformative": arts, religion and spirituality, and cultural change. Lorber and his colleague Elizabeth Sheldon will be scouring the aisles of MIP TV seeking to acquire twenty to thirty new titles to release in the coming year to the North American theatrical, educational and video markets.

New York, NY - March 12, 2009 - Lorber HT Digital has acquired all North American rights to the much anticipated documentary INTANGIBLE ASSET #82, the directorial debut of Australian jazz singer Emma Franz. The film will enjoy its North American premiere on March 14th at the 2009 South by South West Film Festival (SXSW) in the 24 Beats Per Second section. The deal was negotiated by Emma Franz for In The Sprocket Productions and by Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon for Lorber HT Digital.

Lorber HT Digital will open INTANGIBLE ASSET #82 theatrically at select venues in the second quarter of this year, and will also make it available to educational and cultural institutions. After the initial theatrical release, the Company will release the DVD to the consumer market on its soon to be announced music related label later in 2009.

Richard Lorber comments on the acquisition, "In the true tradition of transformative filmmaking, Emma Franz has documented an artist's personal odyssey that results in a universal cultural epiphany. INTANGIBLE ASSET #82 is that rare work of alchemy where the power of music and film combine to transform character and transport an audience through art. We expect it to achieve a high degree of critical recognition and find a wide audience."

About The Film

In her debut film, director Emma Franz captures the creative odyssey of Australian drummer Simon Barker in search of his muse, Korean Shaman Kim Seok-Chul - a Grand Master in his seventies who plays with immense energy and complex technique. After hearing a rare recording of Kim Seok-Chul's music, Barker knew right away that he was listening to one of the world's greatest improvisers. So unique, in fact, is the artistry of the Shaman that the Korean Government bestowed upon him the honorary title "Intangible Asset Number 82," recognizing him as the pre-eminent practitioner, Grand Master and protector of his art form. Intrigued, Barker commits to find and learn from the enigmatic master. Yet Kim Seok-Chul proves elusive, despite the fame accompanying his official honor as being South Korea's 82nd Intangible Asset.

Despite seven years of setbacks and obstacles, and with the Shaman now in his eighties, Barker's commitment intensifies and he returns to Korea for the seventeenth time. Imbued with a sense of destiny, the journey becomes a rite of passage as Barker experiences life-changing encounters with the engaging and exotic characters who eventually lead him to the Shaman. INTANGIBLE ASSET #82 is a true testimony to the universal language of music and its transformative power.

Read more about the film here.

New York, NY - March 12, 2009 - Lorber HT Digital has acquired the U.S. theatrical rights and public performance rights to the acclaimed documentary NOLLYWOOD BABYLON, co-directed by Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal, on the heels of the film's U.S. premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition. The deal was negotiated by Christina Rogers for the National Film Board and by Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon for Lorber HT Digital.

Lorber HT Digital will open NOLLYWOOD BABYLON theatrically at select venues in the second quarter of this year, and will also make it available to educational and cultural institutions. After the initial theatrical release, Lorber HT Digital will release the DVD to the consumer market on its Alive Mind label later in 2009.

Industry pioneer Richard Lorber, founder of Lorber HT Digital, comments on the acquisition, "NOLLYWOOD BABYLON celebrates the power of film to transform a culture and an industry. The explosion of Nigerian cinema over the last two decades is the reclaiming of African story-telling and culture by and for Africans. Nigeria is the new cultural center of Africa and Nollywood is the epicenter."

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times calls the film, "...an irresistible treatise on the Nigerian film industry..."

About The Film

NOLLYWOOD BABYLON chronicles the wild world of "Nollywood," a term coined in the early ‘90s to describe the world's fastest-growing national cinema, surpassed only by its Indian counterpart. The film delves first-hand into Nigeria's explosive homegrown movie industry, where Jesus and voodoo vie for screen time. Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, known in Lagos as "Da Governor," is one of the most influential men in Nollywood. Undeterred by miniscule budgets, Da Governor is one of a cadre of resourceful filmmakers creating a garish, imaginative, and wildly popular form of B-movie that has frenzied fans begging for more. Among the bustling stalls of Lagos's Idumato market, films are sold, and budding stars are born. Creating stories that explore the growing battle between traditional mysticism and modern culture, good versus evil, witchcraft and Christianity, Nollywood auteurs have mastered a down-and-dirty, straight-to-video production formula that has become the industry standard in a country plagued by poverty. This burgeoning Nigerian film industry is tapping a national identity where proud Africans are telling their own stories to a public hungry to see their lives on screen. Peppered with outrageously juicy movie clips and buoyed by a rousing score fusing Afropop and traditional sounds, NOLLYWOOD BABYLON celebrates the distinctive power of Nigerian cinema as it marvels in the magic of movies.

Read more about the film here.

 March 5, 2009

Richard Lorber’s documentary label Alive Mind has acquired the U.S. theatrical, public performance and home video rights to the acclaimed documentary THEATER OF WAR, directed by John Walter (How to Draw a Bunny – Winner, Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival).  Featuring Meryl Streep as the unforgettable Mother Courage, this 2008 documentary was based on the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children” in Central Park. THEATER OF WAR displays yet another facet to the brilliance of Streep, recently honored at the Oscars® where she was cited for an unprecedented 15 nominations and two wins.  The deal was negotiated by Sheri Levine and Michael Thornton of Forward Entertainment, Jack Turner of White Buffalo productions, and by Richard Lorber and Elizabeth Sheldon of Lorber HT Digital, for release under its Alive Mind banner.


Alive Mind will now advance the theatrical and festival roll-out of THEATER OF WAR which was recently showcased at New York’s Film Forum to stellar reviews, including that of Mahohla Dargis of the New York Times who called it an “…inspired, inspiring essayistic documentary.” The company has set bookings next month at the Coolidge Corner in Boston with other dates at the Walker in Minneapolis, Facets in Chicago, the Loft Cinema in Tucson, the Wexner Center in Columbus, the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg, and many more to be announced soon. In addition, Alive Mind will offer public performance copies of the DVD for sale to cultural institutions, universities and libraries under its Alive Mind Education label, and will release the DVD to the consumer market next year.

Richard Lorber, commented, “In the gifted vision of John Walter, Brecht’s work via Tony Kushner takes on a new power, hugely amplified by Streep and Kline, a way of looking at the world through the creation of art and at a work of art from the inside out.”

John Walter adds, “The Alive Mind team has quickly demonstrated that they have an unique and intelligent way of bringing a film to its audience and we are excited to be working with them on THEATER OF WAR.”

Read more about the film here.

Richard Lorber closed a deal this week at the European Film Market in Berlin for Pablo Larrain's "Tony Manero," a Cannes Film Festival ‘08 title that he considered a highlight of October's New York Film Festival. He is planning an April or May ‘09 release under his new Lorber Films label (with more details to be announced soon). Lorber made a pact for all U.S. rights to the movie, securing TV after HBO Latino's 18 month window.

Larrain's "Manero," the filmmaker's second feature, was described by the New York Film Festival as, "a rough-hewn verite-style dance-musical about a 50-something psychotic with inextinguishable dreams of disco glory. On the other, it's a darkly comic allegory about the spell cast by American pop culture during the grimmest days of General Pinochet's police state."

The film, Chile's submission for Oscar foreign language consideration, had a "disturbing, demonic impact when I first saw it...despite all efforts to shed the memory," Richard Lorber told indieWIRE, citing its, "brewing a profound metaphor out of the fusion of politics and pop culture.

Lorber made the deal with Peter Danner, president of Funny Balloons.

Read the article at Indiewire.com