Sascha Drews and Ezra Krybuz, cinematographers of CROOKED LAKE (programmed as PORTAGE), received the Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography at the 2008 Slamdance Film Festival Friday night. The award includes $10,000 worth of Kodak film (16 mm or 35 mm). This is the 11th year Kodak is sponsoring the Kodak Vision Award at Slamdance.

The Slamdance entry CROOKED LAKE is a coming of age story about four 14-year-old girls who encounter death and overcome extreme adversity on a summertime canoe trip to the north woods, where everything that can go wrong does.

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Canadian-based NEOCLASSICS FILMS LTD. announced its acquisition of the independent outdoor action thriller for worldwide distribution rights (excluding Canada) in all media a few days ago. CROOKED LAKE is slated as NeoClassics’ first U.S. theatrical release and scheduled for June in key U.S. cities. Sascha Drews, Ezra Krybus and Matthew Miller wrote and directed the film, while Nicholas D. Tabarrok produced with Jaty Tam and Matthew Miller for Common Films Inc. under Tabarrok’s Canadian Darius Films Inc.’s banner. It stars a cast of youthful newcomers headed by talented Stephannie Richardson of Toronto.

Distribution newcomer NeoClassics licenses independently-produced feature-length motion pictures for all media from filmmakers around the world. Canadian-based with U.S. operations run from the Culver City offices of its U.S. subsidiary, NeoClassics is initially distributing directly to theaters in the U.S. with plans to add direct theatrical distribution in Canada and the U.K. It sells all other rights worldwide.

NeoClassics is releasing its U.S. theatrical product through its NeoClassics and Tigertail Flix labels. It will initially focus on platform releases in three to ten key urban markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The NeoClassics label is being branded as quality independent fare typical of festival product, with a view toward building a long-term following for its product. Product for Tigertail Flix includes youth-oriented films, genre films such as horror and action, as well as a wide array of diverse product for internet distribution and new media.



NeoClassics’ management team is headed by Irwin Olian, CEO and Chairman, a highly successful entrepreneur with a broad range of experience in entertainment and finance, including positions as business affairs executive with ICM and senior attorney with Warner Bros. in Burbank. He has founded four successful public companies in a variety of industries ranging from mining to biotechnology.



NeoClassics’ seasoned team also includes Phil Breen, Exec. V.P. of Business & Acquisitions, formerly Senior V.P. with Sony’s Triumph Pictures; Jerry Pierce, a Director, formerly Senior V.P Technology with Universal Pictures; Frederic Demey, Senior V.P. International Sales & Acquisitions, experienced as an independent international sales agent; and Jeffrey Hardy, Director of Marketing, who has provided data and marketing advice to a wide array of companies in the industry through his firm Big Horse Incorporated.



“We are delighted to be taking out CROOKED LAKE as our first theatrical release and expect this exciting small film to attract considerable attention,” says CEO Olian, adding that ‘it is an emotionally gripping tale of survival in the wild by four teenage girls victimized by circumstances forcing them to grow up fast.”