Press Releases

NEW YORK (July 11, 2013) - Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired the North American rights to Frank Pavich's documentary JODOROWSKY'S DUNE. Executive produced by Donald Rosenfeld and produced by Pavich, Stephen Scarlata, and Travis Stevens, the film was in the Director's Fortnight section at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

JODOROWSKY'S DUNE explores legendary cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky (EL TOPO, HOLY MOUNTAIN, SANTA SANGRE) and his staggeringly ambitious, yet ultimately doomed, mid-1970's film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel DUNE. The tale of Jodorowsky and his DUNE is a fascinating trip through creativity and imagination, a story about the relentless pursuit of a dream, and the necessity of art. In pre-production for over two years, the film was to star Jodorowsky's own 12 year old son Brontis alongside Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, David Carradine and even Salvador Dali, set to a musical score by Pink Floyd and art-design by some of the most provocative talents of the era, including H.R. Giger and Jean 'Moebius' Giraud.

"To have my first film distributed by Sony Pictures Classics is a dream come true. I'm incredibly excited to know that we will be working alongside the company that so fully supported such great documentaries like CRUMB and SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN. SPC has seen that, even though this is a documentary about a never-completed film, it is not a story about failure. It's a story about ambition and how the power of art can effectively change the world," said filmmaker Frank Pavich.

Sony Pictures Classics added, "JODOROWSKY'S DUNE is one of those great documentaries about a true visionary in a place where truth is stranger than fiction. We look forward to bringing it to the American public."

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992, which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.

Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 29 Academy Awards® (25 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 135 Academy Award® nominations (109 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

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