Press Releases

January 23, 2016 (Park City) — In advance of its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Sony Pictures Classics announced today that it has acquired worldwide rights (excluding France and Germany) from NYC-based sales company Submarine to Thorsten Schütte's documentary on iconoclastic composer-musician Frank Zappa, EAT THAT QUESTION-FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS, an intimate portrait told through rare archival footage.

EAT THAT QUESTION is an energetic celebration of Zappa told entirely through archival footage culled from the performer's 30-year career in entertainment. Weaving together rare TV interviews and performances from around the world, the film by the German director explores Zappa's unconventional and irreverent handling of the media, his irrepressible quest for enlightenment and his witty self-dramatization.

"I'm delighted and I'm thrilled that Sony Pictures Classics believes in the film and I feel we're in very good hands," remarked filmmaker Thorsten Schütte. "The news of the acquisition is really the cherry on the cake of our world premiere at Sundance."

The deal was negotiated by Sony Pictures Classics with Josh Braun, Dan Braun and David Koh of Submarine on behalf of the filmmakers.

EAT THAT QUESTION will premiere at Sundance on Monday, January 25 in the Documentary Premieres section. It has also been pre-selected for Germany's top film awards, the LOLAs, and will next be showcased in the LOLA at Berlinale section of the Berlin Film Festival.

EAT THAT QUESTION is produced by Estelle Fialon of Les Films du Poisson (France) and Jochen Laube of UFA Films (Germany), and co-produced by ARTE France and SWR.

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 32 Academy Awards® (28 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 158 Academy Award® nominations (133 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

Carmelo Pirrone
Executive Vice President, MARKETING
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