Cinema Libre: Love, Politics and The 2004 Republican National Convention Set The Stage For "Conventioneers" Coming to DVD June 19
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 17, 2007
12:38 PM
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CONTACT: Cinema Libre
pr@hyphenatefilms.com
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Remembering The 2004 Republican National Convention
Love, Politics and The 2004 Republican National Convention Set The Stage For "Conventioneers" Coming to DVD June 19
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Los Angeles - MAY 17 -During the last election, New York City was center stage in what is considered to be the most contentious political convention in recent history -- the 2004 Republican National Convention. Thousands of activists descended upon the streets of New York to hold marches, rallies and demonstrations protesting President Bush, his administration and his agenda. Mora Stephens’ directorial debut, “Conventioneers,” explores the possibility of a bi-partisan relationship at a time when the country was as polarized as ever. Along with Producer Joel Viertel, Stephens infiltrated both the convention and the surrounding protests to film a narrative Red State-Blue State love story. Winner of the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award, “Conventioneers” will be released on DVD June 19.
Featuring breakthrough performances by newcomers, Matthew Mabe and Woodwyn Koons, “Conventioneers” follows DAVID MASSEY (Mabe), a Texas native and staunch Republican who comes to New York as a first-time delegate to the Republication National Convention and falls into an unlikely affair with LEA JONES (Koons), an old college friend who has returned to the City to protest the Bush agenda. An ironic Romeo & Juliet story set against the real RNC, “Conventioneers” casts light on the widening gap between the political parties and the heated polarity that Americans experienced during the 2004 presidential election.
A second storyline centers on DYLAN MURTAUGH (Alek Friedman), a former protester who has dropped out of the scene because of his responsibilities as a husband and a new father. He must confront his dedication to the cause when he is hired as a sign language interpreter for President Bush’s speech at the convention. When he tells his activist friends about the job, they try to convince him to stage a protest during the speech instead. Friedman, a real sign language interpreter, was actually hired to interpret for the President during the convention, which allowed the filmmakers to get real footage from inside Madison Square Garden.
DVD extras include a behind the scenes featurette and "arrest shorts" detailing the experiences of the filmmakers when they got caught up in a sweep of protesters and were arrested. The disc also includes commentary tracks with the director, producer and cast, along with deleted scenes and alternate takes.
“Conventioneers” received critical acclaim on the festival circuit including the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award (for Best Feature made under $500,000) and the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2006 Florida Film Festival. Early reviews have applauded Stephens’ filmmaking style and narrative approach, citing her ability to tell a passionate love story filled with intense drama and real life events.
About Hyphenate Films
With “Conventioneers,” husband-and-wife team Mora Stephens and Joel Viertel, along with cast members and close collaborators Alek Friedman and Trevor Murphy, founded Hyphenate Films. Hyphenate Films produces daring feature films guided by a tight-knit group of “Hyphenates,” multi-disciplinary film professionals who absorb several key positions on each production. This approach maximizes production values by drawing on all the team’s varied skills. Following the success of “Conventioneers,” Hyphenate Films produced two features that are currently in post-production: “Strictly Sexual,” a sexy romantic comedy, and “Ready or Not,” a killer-thriller set in the world of reality TV.
For more information, visit www.hyphenatefilms.com or contact pr@hyphenatefilms.comAbout Cinema Libre Studio
Cinema Libre Studio is a haven for independent filmmakers with views, offering one-stop shopping for production, co-production, distribution, foreign sales, marketing, and post-production services. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company is best known for distributing in theaters and on DVD titles that include "Outfoxed," "Uncovered," Tim Robbins' "Embedded Live," "Giuliani Time" and ESPN’s "Through the Fire." Several Cinema Libre Studio productions have recently won awards including "Conventioneers," winner of the 2006 Independent Spirit Award’s 'John Cassavetes' Award and Best Narrative Feature at the Florida Film Festival, "The Empire in Africa," winner Best Documentary at Slamdance 2006, and "Giuliani Time, winner Best Documentary at the Silver Lake Film Festival. For more information, visit www.cinemalibrestudio.com
EDITORS AND PRODUCERS:
To receive a screener or schedule an interview with director Mora Stephens, please contact Mary Keeler at mkeeler@cinemalibrestudio.com or call 818-349-8822.
To download images and other information, please visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com
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