William H. Macy's Directorial Debut RUDDERLESS Acquired by Paramount & Samuel Goldwyn Films

Paramount Home Media Distribution and Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today a collaboration to bring RUDDERLESS to theatrical and home viewing audiences. The feature directorial debut of Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee* William H. Macy, RUDDERLESS was produced by Keith Kjarval (Unified Pictures) and Brad Greiner in association with Aaron L. Gilbert's Bron Studios and had its world premiere as the Closing Night Film at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Billy Crudup (Almost Famous), Anton Yelchin (Star Trek Into Darkness), Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives"), Jamie Chung ("Believe"), Selena Gomez (Spring Breakers) and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix).

Samuel Goldwyn Films will handle U.S. theatrical distribution day-and-date with Paramount Home Media Distribution's VOD release. Paramount will also handle other U.S. ancillary platforms and all distribution in Canada, the UK, Russia and certain territories in Asia.

After a man has his life Torn apart when he loses his son, he is content wasting the rest of his days until he discovers a box of unpublished music. Coming from such an unexpected source, the music is a revelation. He begins obsessively learning the songs, until one day he decides to play one of them at a local bar. The song captivates a young musician in the audience and the two unlikely friends decide to form a local band that gains sudden popularity and changes both of their lives.

"After seeing such a fabulous response at Sundance, we are thrilled to be partnering with two of the most prestigious distributors in our business on my directing debut," said director William H. Macy. "When I first moved to LA, many years ago, I lived just off of Melrose, and I passed those beautiful gates to Paramount almost every day. Seeing them become our partner on RUDDERLESS and adding the storied Goldwyn Company into the mix excites me to no end."

"William H. Macy has always been a true talent in front of the cameras and now also proves to be a major force behind the scenes. Billy Crudup, Felicity Huffman and the rest of the cast deliver stellar performances. We are excited to again partner with Paramount Home Media Distribution in bringing Macy's remarkable first feature to theaters," said Peter Goldwyn, Senior Vice President, Samuel Goldwyn Films.

"RUDDERLESS is an incredibly powerful and moving film and we are extremely excited to bring it to audiences around the world," said Syrinthia Studer, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Acquisitions, Paramount Home Media Distribution. "William H. Macy has delivered a terrific first feature with extraordinary performances by his stellar cast, a compelling story and wonderful original music. We feel confident that it will be embraced by audiences both in the U.S. and internationally."

The deal was negotiated by Paramount Home Media Distribution, WME Global and Peter Goldwyn, Senior Vice President of Samuel Goldwyn Films, with Radiant Films handling international.

Samuel Goldwyn Films is a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company that develops, produces and distributes innovative feature films and documentaries. The company is dedicated to working with both world renowned and emerging writers/filmmakers and committed to filmed entertainment that offers original voices in uniquely told stories. This is best exemplified by the Academy Award nominated THE SQUID AND THE WHALE and SUPER SIZE ME; AMAZING GRACE and Julie Delpy's hit comedy 2 DAYS IN PARIS. Past Goldwyn titles include the critically hailed ELEGY starring Academy Award winner Penélope Cruz, HARRY BROWN starring Michael Caine and the box office smash FIREPROOF. MAO'S LAST DANCER, directed by Academy Award nominee Bruce Beresford was one of the top grossing independent films of 2010. Samuel Goldwyn Films released THE WHISTLEBLOWER, a powerful, ripped from the headlines thriller starring Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz and the 2012 critics' darling, ROBOT & FRANK, starring Academy Award nominee Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon. Additional Samuel Goldwyn Films releases include DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL, an acclaimed documentary about the late fashion icon, Gilles Bourdos' RENOIR, the lush film about the famous painter's later years and France's official submission for the 2014 Academy Awards, Academy Award nominee James Cromwell starrer, STILL MINE, and the Jason Wise much buzzed about film SOMM. Upcoming releases include Academy Award-winner Freida Mock's critically acclaimed documentary Anita featuring intimate and in-depth interviews with Anita Hill and filmmaker Lucia Puenzo's haunting film and Argentina's official submission to the 2014 Academy Awards THE GERMAN DOCTOR.

To post a comment, you must register and login.