Hydro Studios Acquires Music Documentary, Bali: Beats Of Paradise

Event based theatrical distribution company, Hydro Studios announced today that they are collaborating Sun and Moon Films to distribute the music documentary BALI: BEATS OF PARADISE. Directed and produced by Livi Zheng and featuring Judith Hill,the original documentary pulls back the curtain on Gamelan music and Nyoman Wenten - a celebrated Indonesian composer who sets out to pay homage to the sacred but shrinking tradition of Balinese music and dance, Gamelan, in his home country. Gamelan has been used in the film Avatar by James Cameron, the TV show Star Trek as well as the Nintendo game Mario Bros.

BALI: BEATS OF PARADISE will have its world premiere at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, CA on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 and open in theatres in Los Angeles and New York on November 16 followed by one night only screening events featuring Gamelan music performances in select cities across the country.

BALI: BEATS OF PARADISE is a visionary tale that examines the collective wisdom and talent of Wenten and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Judith Hill (20 Feet from Stardom), as they join forces to reignite gamelan - Bali's rhythmic style of classical music. After 40 years of teaching and performing gamelan all over the world, Wenten is approaching retirement and aware of the fleeting popularity of his homeland's beloved musical tradition. At the same time, Hill is looking for a distinctive sound for a new piece of music she's composing. After meeting, the two agree on collaborating by blending the sounds of classic funk with the beats of Bali. The final result is an epic music video, "QUEEN OF THE HILL," that catapults gamelan into the digital age. "QUEEN OF THE HILL" video can now be seen here.

"Most people will never have the chance to experience the beautiful, vibrant scenery Bali is famous for, said Zheng. "When I traveled to Bali to make this film, the most important thing was to capture the culture and traditions of everyday life - including Balinese ceremonies. Whether filled with joy or sorrow, each one is always accompanied by the traditional sounds of gamelan."

"We are thrilled to be working with Livi Zheng on BALI: BEATS OF PARADISE and to have the opportunity to connect and inspire audiences across America with Gamelan Music," said Kirt Eftekhar, Managing Director of Hydro Studios.

Nyoman Wenten is one of Bali's most accomplished and versatile dancers and musicians, Wenten is known for his creative East-West fusions, he has composed musical works that include a unique Fusion of gamelan music and Western elements, collaborating with artists such as David Rosenboom, Morton Subotnick, Sardono Kusumo, Vinny Golia, William Miranda and Larry Reed, among others. Wenten was born in Sading village, Bali, to a family with several generations of musicians and artists. His earliest studies were with his grandfather, who was a master puppeteer, musician and dancer. He completed his traditional education in Indonesia and earned a doctoral degree in Ethnomusicology fromUniversity of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) . Wenten currently teaches in the department of Ethnomusicology at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and CalArts School of Music.

Livi Zheng is a critically-acclaimed director and producer. Zheng made her film production debut in 2014 with BRUSH WITH DANGER, a thriller about the complex world of martial arts. The film was distributed theatrically in the US and internationally and garnered international acclaim and Zheng was prestigiously recognized by the Los Angeles Times for her work. Zheng earned her M.F.A in Film Production at the University of Southern California; previously having earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington-Seattle. Zheng has been a guest speaker on topics spanning film, culture and international business. To date, she has lectured at over 30 universities worldwide including Yale University, University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, University of California-Los Angeles, New York Film Academy, and Communication University of China.

For more information about the film, please visit www.hydrostudios.com/balibeatsofparadise,

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