12.02.09
EPSTEIN/FRIEDMAN FEATURE TO SCREEN IN OFFICIAL DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Minneapolis, MN (December 2, 2009) – Werc Werk Works, the independent production and finance company helmed by CEO Elizabeth Redleaf and President Christine Walker, announced today that their second production, “Howl” has been selected as First Night of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The debut narrative feature from acclaimed documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, starring James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels, will receive its World Premiere at the Eccles Theatre in Park City, UT on January 21, 2010. “Howl” will screen as part of the official Dramatic Competition of the festival.
“We are extremely proud and grateful that Sundance has selected what we think is an extraordinary and inspiring movie for their First Night,” says Redleaf. “We’re always interested in remarkable material and “Howl” was a fit made in heaven.” Adds Walker, “Rob and Jeffrey have used their unique vision and crafted a dramatic movie that has the soul of a documentary. It is exciting to be part of this new step for such distinguished filmmakers.”
“Howl” marks the second production by Werc Werk Works, following Todd Solondz’s “Life During Wartime,” which launched to critical acclaim at the Telluride, Venice, Toronto and New York film festivals. In addition, Redleaf and Walker are also producing Bela Tarr’s “The Turin Horse” as well as the recently announced “The Convincer” by Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher.
In “Howl,” James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg – poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation – who recounts in his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem “Howl.” Three interwoven stories — the unfolding of a landmark 1957 censorship trial; the revelations of a renegade artist breaking down barriers to find love and redemption; and an imaginative ride through a prophetic masterpiece that rocked a generation – come to life in a genre-defying feature film that is at once a legal drama, a character study and an animated trip into the magic and madness of the modern world.
“Howl” is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and stars James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, Alessandro Nivola, Treat Williams, with Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels. The film is produced by Elizabeth Redleaf and Christine Kunewa Walker for Werc Werk Works and executive produced by Gus Van Sant and Jawal Nga. The animation design is by Eric Drooker, with cinematography by Edward Lachman, production designer by Therese DePrez, costume design by Kurt and Bart and a score by Carter Burwell.
About Werc Werk Works
Werc Werk Works is an independent film production and finance company founded by Elizabeth Redleaf and Independent Spirit Award nominated producer Christine Kunewa Walker (“American Splendor” “Factotum”) and is dedicated to the production and financing of high caliber, story-driven films with wide appeal. The company strives to be a consistent supplier of commercial projects for both the studios and strong independent distributors worldwide. Werc Werk Works launched in August 2008 and is based in Minnesota.