As part of ACJ Film Fund's expansion into worldwide film production, it was announced today that Mark Amin's U.S. based Sobini Films, Japanese producer Motoko Kimura, and Lifeng Wang's Yintai Investment will team up to produce and finance Bobby Smith Jr.'s highly anticipated feature length sci-fi thriller BURST. This is the first project for the ACJ Film Fund, a joint venture to develop and finance wide-release theatrical films that will appeal to the American, Chinese, and Japanese markets. The $3M development fund is focused on the genres of contemporary action, suspense, Science fiction, and commercial romance, with a strong emphasis placed on acquiring completed scripts. ACJ will also develop select projects based on IP and original concepts. The three partners plan to co-finance the films that ACJ develops.
In BURST, a military transport aircraft carrying seven soldiers is caught in a massive gamma-ray burst which sends the plane and the soldiers careening simultaneously into the future and the past.
Smith is currently expanding his role as creator of high profile projects, with the recent sale of his feature pitch INNER CITY SYMPHONY to Disney + with Brigham Taylor producing. Smith is one of the most prolific writers of our generation, having launched his career with the critically acclaimed JASON'S LYRIC starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Allen Payne, Forest Whitaker, and Anthony 'Treach' Criss of the famed hip-hop group Naughty By Nature. Smith Jr.'s production company Ashore Entertainment has several upcoming productions that will be announced in the near future, as Bobby ramps up his slate for 2021.
Amin most recently produced and directed the Civil War drama EMPEROR, starring Dayo Okeniyi, Kat Graham, Bruce Dern, James Cromwell and Mykelti Williamson. He also produced the Universal release JT LEROY starring Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern, Sony Pictures Classics' MILES AHEAD starring Don Cheadle and Ewan McGregor, and IFC's MARY SHELLEY starring Elle Fanning. In addition to his work at Sobini, Amin served as Vice Chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment and prior to that founded Trimark Holdings, Inc. and served as the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until the company merged with Lionsgate.
"When we heard Bobby's brilliant pitch for BURST, we knew it was the perfect first project for ACJ. Our new venture gives us the opportunity to produce these types of exciting stories and make movies with universal appeal," said Amin.
Smith Jr. commented, "I am so honored to work with ACJ and Sobini Films to bring this amazing story to the screen. This is going to be an exciting film targeted for audiences worldwide."
Sobini Film's Tyler Boehm will oversee development, while Sobini's Cami Winikoff negotiated the deal. Bobby Smith Jr. is repped by attorney Mark Temple.
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