KAIROS PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF THEIR 5TH FEATURE FILM
Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios Company, has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the feature film Language Arts, based on the novel by best-selling author Stephanie Kallos (Broken for You). The film stars Ashley Zukerman (Succession), and Sarah Shahi (Sex/Life), Elliot Smith, Lincoln Lambert, Erin Cummings (Spartacus), Mariana Klaveno, with Kevin Alejandro (Lucifer) and Pamela Reed (NCIS: Los Angeles). It is adapted and directed by award-winning filmmaker Cornelia Duryée (West of Redemption).
Charles Marlow (Zukerman), an isolated teacher, finds that his skill with words is no help in connecting with his autistic son or the love of his life (Shahi). When an ambitious student enlists Charles’ help, he’s forced to confront the actions and inactions that have shaped his life. Language Arts spans his lifetime, from a 1962 classroom to a 1990s group home for his nearly grown son, examining how we construct the story of our lives, and how we set about revising it.
“As a parent of an autistic child, I connected to the novel in a primal way. This story speaks to the universal struggle of raising children, trying to keep a family together under trying circumstances, and how love connects and saves us,” says filmmaker Cornelia Duryée.
This film is produced by Larry Estes (Smoke Signals). Rich Cowan and Stephanie Kallos served as Executive Producers.
“Director and screenwriter Cornelia Duryée has crafted a heartfelt film that spans decades with deft storytelling and lush cinematography,” stated Gravitas Ventures. “Ashley Zukerman & Sarah Shahi display searing emotional truth, and young newcomer Lincoln Lambert gives a transformative performance that will astonish audiences in this moving story of a man trying to overcome his self-imposed isolation. It thrills us to bring this film to audiences world-wide this year, when we are all learning how to come back into communion with each other.”
“We’re very pleased that Gravitas Ventures will release Language Arts,” said Estes. “We appreciate their shared passion for this story, and we are happy to be in the company of so many marvelous independent films and filmmakers.”
Alex Nohe and Jeff Dowd of Blood Sweat Honey negotiated the deal with Brett Rogalsky at Gravitas Ventures on behalf of the filmmakers.
Language Arts marks the fifth collaboration between Duryée & Estes. Previous collaborations include The Dark Horse, Camilla Dickinson, West of Redemption, and the soon-to-be-released Portal Runner. This is Duryée’s second book adaptation.
KAIROS PRODUCTIONS
Kairos Productions is a leading independent production company based in Seattle, WA that aims to enrich the world through redemptive storytelling. Kairos develops original content such as The Dark Horse, West of Redemption, and Portal Runner, adapted content such as Camilla Dickinson, and Language Arts, and collaborate with other production partners to create unique stories, such as JourneyQuest. For more information, visit www.kairos-productions.com or follow us on Facebook @kairosseattle or Twitter @KairosFilm.
ABOUT GRAVITAS VENTURES
Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, is a leading all rights distributor of independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America - over one billion homes worldwide. Recent releases include Queen Bees directed by Michael Lembeck, Our Frienddirected by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel,Vanguard, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan, The Secret: Dare to Dream, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Katie Holmes; End of Sentence starring Logan Lerman and John Hawkes; Looks that Kill; Tread; Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk, narrated by Bill Murray; and Colin Hanks’ All Things Must Pass. For more information, please visit www.gravitasventures.com, and follow @GravitasVOD on Twitter and @gravitasventures on Instagram.
ABOUT RED ARROW STUDIOS
Red Arrow Studios is one of the world’s leading creators and distributors of entertainment content, comprised of an acclaimed network of international production companies and labels in seven territories; world-leading digital studio, Studio71, based in six countries; and global film and TV distributors Red Arrow Studios International and Gravitas Ventures. The group’s significant output includes scripted, non-scripted and formatted content and IP, from TV and film to short-form and branded content, made for an array of global networks and platforms. Red Arrow Studios is part of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, one of Europe's leading media groups. Redarrowstudios.com