EXCLUSIVE: Actor-producers Nicholas Cirillo (Poker Face) and Matthew Montemaro (Jesus Revolution) have today announced the launch of Enzo Entertainment, an independent production company with a primary focus on original, theatrically released feature films.
The mission of the company will be to create character-driven titles that reinvigorate younger generations’ relationship with cinema and moviegoing. Its founders, who struck up a friendship while working together in front of the camera, will be active in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. The first project to come out of Enzo is the proof-of-concept short Two Shovels and a Will, written and directed by Cirillo, and starring both Enzo founders, which was nominated for Best Narrative Short at the 2023 Atlanta Shortsfest. Other films on the dance card at the shingle include the comedy Dirty Myrtle, written by Cirillo, and the thriller Town Zero which he scripted with Montemaro. Also in development is a series that has a notable rising indie filmmaker on board, though specifics are being kept under wraps for now.
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“Our mantra is ‘cinema, not content,'” said Montemaro. “We”re aware and excited about the opportunities to achieve great storytelling in streaming and television, but it is our belief, and as I think the market is starting to indicate, people going to movie theaters is good for the entertainment industry at large.” Added Cirillo, “This is a pivotal moment in the history of this business with the WGA and SAG strike, and we started this company to be part of that change. Our only focus is the art, and fighting for the artists we work with. Now is the time for independent filmmaking, now is the time for taking risks and putting crazy ideas on the big screen.”
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Cirillo is represented by IAG, Zero Gravity Management and Alexander White Agency; Montemaro by 22Talent & Tilmar Talent in Los Angeles.
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EXCLUSIVE: The abortion rights documentary Plan C, bowing earlier this year as a critically acclaimed, official selection of both Sundance and SXSW, has been picked up for North American distribution by indie outfit Level 33 Entertainment. Directed and produced by Sundance Documentary Directing and Screenwriting Fellow Tracy Droz Tragos, who previously examined abortion issues with 2016’s Abortion: Stories Women Tell, the film will bow exclusively in theaters this fall before debuting on all digital platforms.
The docu subject here is Francine Coeytaux, a public health specialist and the co-founder of the grassroots organization Plan C who, with her team, has fought to expand knowledge of, and access to, the abortion pill across the United States. The film reveals the pipelines they built, the criticism they faced, and the hope they have for the future.
Level 33’s President & CEO Andreas Olavarria called Plan C an “urgent and timely” work providing “a message of hope in a very polarizing time.” Added Tragos, “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Level 33 Entertainment to reach communities across the United States where information is being censored and abortion access is restricted. Pundits and politicians get all the airtime – this is a story about real people coming together to make access possible no matter where you live. I hope audiences will be inspired.”
The deal was negotiated between CAA and Andreas Olavarria of Level 33.
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EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has closed a deal to serve as the North American VOD distributor for Storage Locker, a new comic book-themed horror feature written, directed and produced by Ray Spivey, which is now set for release across platforms on August 22nd.
Exec produced by Brian K. Jammer, the film tells the story of a comic book collector (Avery Mayo) who falls for two beautiful sisters, Apollonia (Bobbie Grace) and Diana (Meredyth Fowler), who run a secret society of rarities dealers, resulting in his battling a demonic monster in the sisters’ storage facility.
Also starring in the flick are Mike Gassaway, David Trevino, Hannah Hufford, Skeeta Jenkins, Jeannie Carter-Cruz, Jennifer Gunderson and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Allen Danziger. Freestyle negotiated the deal directly with Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films. Watch the trailer for Storage Locker below.