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APRIL 1 DVD RELEASES |
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 AN UNREAL DREAM: The Michael Morton Story
92 minutes, documentary, color, 2013
A film by Al Reinert
Special Features • Approximately 70 minutes of bonus material, including:
Highlights from former DA Ken Anderson's Court of Inquiry and plea deal hearing • Q&A with Double Oscar Nominee Al Reinert, Michael Morton & Attorney John Raley • "Whispering Hope" Music Video • SXSW Premiere Highlights
LOCKED UP FOR A MURDER HE DIDN'T COMMIT
In 1986 Michael Morton's wife Christine is brutally murdered in front of their only child, and Michael is convicted of the crime. Locked away in Texas prisons for a quarter century, estranged from his son, he has years to ponder questions of justice and innocence, truth and fate. Though he is virtually invisible to society, the Innocence Project and Michael's pro bono attorney spend years fighting for the right to test DNA evidence found at the murder scene. Their discoveries ultimately reveal that the price of a wrongful conviction goes well beyond one man's loss of freedom.
Director Al Reinert is a two-time Academy Award nominee (as director of For All Mankind, which won the documentary Jury & Audience Awards when it premiered at Sundance in 1989, and as screenwriter for Apollo 13).
Audience Award Winner, Documentary Spotlight - SXSW 2013
“A powerful story of pain, injustice, redemption, and reconciliation.” - Huffington Post
“Recounts an outrageous miscarriage of justice without a trace of manufactured melodrama or visual hyperbole. The film's rivetingly straightforward style of storytelling is a perfect match for its subject. An inspiring tale of spiritual uplift, sympathetically detailing how religious faith gave Morton the strength to endure, and the mercy to forgive.” - Variety
“An unflinching look at how Morton was wrongfully convicted of murder and had his only son disown him.”
- Associated Press
“Makes very real an innocent man's nightmare through a cruel and broken justice system that stole his freedom, his relationship with his son and, nearly, his spirit.” - Houston Chronicle
“A gripping saga. What is most frightening is how much effort and time it took a squad of highly motivated, expert lawyers to claw Morton out of prison, even after the truth became widely apparent. If a respected, responsible citizen like Morton can be thrown in prison for decades based on such a feeble case, the film asks, who among the rest of us can consider ourselves safe?” - PopMatters
“An extraordinary film...ultimately a story of transcendence.” - Austin American Statesman
Packaged in a 100% Certified Green Forestry Practices Eco Pack
UPC: 7-20229-91585-4 | Catalog #: FRF 915854D | SRP: $24.95 | Street Date: April 1 |
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 LOST ISLANDS
103 minutes, fiction, color, Hebrew w/ English subtitles, 2008
A film by Reshef Levi
The Levis are a large, fun-loving family in early 1980s Israel. The father advises his children every day on the importance of fulfilling their dreams, while his wife preaches absolute family loyalty. Their summer holiday is usually filled with dances, flirting, and the playful hijinks, but this summer the family's idyllic life is shattered when twin brothers Erez and Ofer fall in love with the same girl.
The biggest box office success in Israel in 2008, this autobiographical drama features an all-star Israeli cast and provides an entertaining yet incisive look at loyalty and betrayal, and the power of love versus the bonds of family.
Nominated for 14 Israeli "Oscars" & Winner of 4, Including Best Actor
“Breezy, entertaining...a crowd-pleaser!” - Variety
“Delightful!” - DC Film Review
“One of those movies that audiences love! The actors all shine...the film is well-photographed and features meticulous production design rarely seen in Israeli films.” - Jerusalem Post
“An excellent cast!” - The Jewish Journal
Packaged in a 100% Certified Green Forestry Practices Eco Pack
UPC: 7-20229-91588-5 | Catalog #: FRF 915885D | SRP: $24.95 | Street Date: April 1 |
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 WHEN JEWS WERE FUNNY
89 minutes, documentary, color, 2013
A film by Alan Zweig
Featuring Shecky Green, Howie Mandel, Shelley Berman, Gilbert Gottfried, David Steinberg,
David Brenner, Marc Maron & more
Special Features • Five bonus clips: Shecky Calls Jack • Name That Tune • "Kenina Hurra" • Shecky Mania • Jewish Joke Medley
Insightful and often hilarious, When Jews Were Funny surveys the history of Jewish comedy, from the early days of Borsht belt to the present, ultimately exploring not just ethnicity in the entertainment industry, but also the entire unruly question of what it means to be Jewish.
Popular comedians from the past and present provide an abundance of surprising opinions and witty humor. Veterans of the 1940s and 50s deny that their comedy reflected anything of Jewish culture. For younger comics, their biggest influences are family members, fathers, aunts and yentas. Many bemoan the loss of Yiddish, while arguing about the quintessential Jewish joke.
Perhaps the movie's real subject isn't so much comedy but what it means to be Jewish. It's an impossible question to answer...but it's also one well worth exploring, especially in a movie as funny and heartfelt as this one.
“An entertaining and enjoyable examination of comedy, identity and what it means to be Jewish today.” - Screen Daily
“Entertaining. Engrossing. Fun viewing!” - The Globe and Mail
“Some very funny people tell some great jokes!” - The Hollywood Reporter
UPC: 7-20229-91589-2 | Catalog #:FRF 915892D | SRP: $24.95 | Street Date: April 1 |
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Please visit our website for press materials including box art, photos and press kits |
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Please send review links to michelle@firstrunfeatures.com or mail tear sheets to:
First Run Features
The Film Center Building
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213
New York NY 10036
Make it easy for your readers to find First Run Features:
www.firstrunfeatures.com / 1-800-229-8575 |
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