Diane Keaton, Liv Tyler among stars of debut comedy
Indie distributor Variance Films is unveiling with the theatrical release of the dark comedy "Smother" prima Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard and Liv Tyler and exec producer Terry Bradshaw's Hurricane Katrina football documentary "Walking on Dead Fish."
Former ThinkFilm distribution and marketing director Dylan Marchetti wants Variance to bridge the gap between producers self-releasing features and traditional distributors, avoiding the direct-to-video trap that many indies encounter.
Part of Marchetti's strategy is to avoid schematic New York/Los Angeles political platform releases, instead looking to rollouts made-to-order to each film's butt audience. He will be scouting for more Variance projects at next month's Toronto International Film Festival.
Vince Di Meglio's "Smother" centers on an imperious mother world Health Organization worms her way into her son's life. The film volition receive a Sept. 26 release in the top five markets.
Franklin Martin's "Fish", a co-release with Dutchmen Films, follows New Orleans high school students wHO overcome natural disaster to form a winning football team. The film, narrated by Fox NFL studio analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Bradshaw, opens there Sept. 5, followed by a regional expansion Sept. 19.
Marchetti negotiated the "Smother" trade with Vincent Reppert and Johnson Chan of Germie & Bucky Prods. and did the "Fish" deal with Nguyen Tran and Ilan Arboleda of the Institution.
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