FIRST FILM UP IS "ROBOT & FRANK"
STARRING FRANK LANGELLA, SUSAN SARANDON,
JAMES MARSDEN, LIV TYLER, JEREMY STRONG AND LIEV SCHREIBER
Film shooting in New York in July/August 2011
New York, NY -- July 12, 2011 -- Jackie Kelman Bisbee and Lance Acord,partners in Park Pictures, announced today they have formed a narrative feature company, Park Pictures Features with independent film darling Galt Niederhoffer and award-winning producer Sam Bisbee.
Park Pictures Features' first project will be the family comedy,"Robot & Frank," starring Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Jeremy Strong and Liev Schreiber, as the voice of the Robot.
Written by Christopher Ford, the film marks the feature film directorial debut of Park Pictures' director Jake Schreier. The film is currently shooting in New York. Niederhoffer, Bisbee, Kelman Bisbee and Acord are producing the film. The film is executive produced by White Hat/TBB. Matt Lloyd is the Director of Photography.
Park Features' next projects are the directorial debut of Lance Acord, and a new project from British director, Ringan Ledwidge. The company will also produce the adaptations of Sam Lipsyte's best-selling novel, "The Ask," to be directed by Steven Shainberg, and the venerable late David Foster Wallace's short story, "Little Expressionless Animals."
Set in the future, "Robot & Frank" follows aging curmudgeon, Frank (Langella), a confused loner with a love for books. His one friend is the librarian Jennifer (Sarandon) that he regularly visits. Other than his library outings, and weekly visits from his son, Frank lives a quiet, lonely life, until his grown-up kids (Marsden, Tyler) install a caretaker robot to care for their dad and an unlikely friendship begins.
Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Partner of Park Pictures and Park Pictures Features, stated "At Park Pictures we have had the opportunity to work closely with many talented directors in the commercial arena and it is a natural evolution for our company to grow and to work in the feature film arena as well. 'Robot & Frank' is a beautiful story that's both touching, and at times very funny. We are enjoying the process of bringing this film to reality."
"Park is a company comprised of filmmakers, so as we grow and evolve it only makes sense to develop and produce their feature projects.
Being a commercial production company, we have a unique opportunity to utilize our resources within the industry to economically and efficiently make long form films. Having Galt on board has been great. Her knowledge and expertise is such an amazing asset." added Park Pictures and Park Pictures Features Partner Lance Acord, "I have been excited to see "Robot and Frank" go into production. Jake and C.D. Ford have been working on this for quite some time now and I must admit it has been a bit surreal to sit on set and see the film actually take shape. Jake is a very talented guy. His confidence on
set and insights into working with actors far exceeds that of a "first time director". I think his years of experience as a commercial and music video director have served him well.
Galt Niederhoffer, Park Pictures Features Partner as well as a Writer/Director/Producer stated, "I am honored and thrilled to join the Park family. Lance, Jackie and Sam have achieved that rare thing in this business, combining brilliant work with wonderful people."
Sam Bisbee, Park Pictures Features Partner and Producer added, "Galt and I are thrilled to be working with Jake Schreier and this stellar cast to bring Park Pictures Features first of many films to life."
Park Pictures plans for two movies in the first year, the first being "Robot & Frank." The company will draw on the client list of their top directing talent (which includes Acord, Schreier, Niederhoffer, Ellen Kuras, Joachim Back, Gary Freedman, Steven Shainberg, 300ml and Alison Maclean) as well as local NYC directors to make films with strong visual, narrative, and commercial appeal.
Kelman and Acord's Park Pictures is one of the city's most prestigious commercial production houses in the business, having won numerous Clios, AICP awards, and Cannes Lions and working regularly with blue chip corporations including Nike, Target, and Coca-Cola. Acord, who directed the beloved and widely seen "The Force" Super Bowl spot for Volkswagen, was the Director of Photography for "Lost In Translation," "Where the Wild Things Are," and "Being John Malkovich."
A writer/director/producer, Niederhoffer brings fifteen years of experience in film, having brought eight films to Sundance, with seven of the films winning awards at the festival including Best Director, Best Cinematographer, the Audience Award, and Best Screenplay. Bisbee produced the Academy Award-winning live action short film "The New Tenants" in 2010 and has four screenplays in development.
Lance Acord -- Park Picture LLC Founder/Partner, Park Pictures Features Partner. After graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute, Lance began his career assisting the photographer Bruce Weber and quickly became one of the industry's most sought after cinematographers. After founding Park Pictures LLC with partner Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Lance seamlessly transitioned into directing, working with clients including Nike and Microsoft. Lance has won Gold Lions for his work on Nike's "before," Adidas' "Impossible: Laila Ali," "The Long Run," "Wakeup Call", and most recently "The Force". He was nominated as Best Commercial Director by the DGA in 2003. Lance's feature Director of Photography credits include Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" (BAFTA nomination for Best Cinematography) and "Marie Antoinette," Vincent Gallo's "Buffalo 66," and Spike Jonze's "Being John Malkovich," and "Where the Wild Things Are."
Jackie Kelman Bisbee -- Park Pictures LLC Founder/Partner, Park Pictures Features Partner
Jackie Kelman Bisbee is a graduate of New York University's Stern School of Business. Jackie started her career as a licensing agent for fashion designers and in 1998, she teamed up with acclaimed cinematographer Lance Acord to form New York based production company Park Pictures. Since 1998, Park has built a substantial roster of directors and has created numerous national and international television commercials for clients including Nike, Target, Audi, Acura, Adidas, Volvo, Coca-Cola, and NHL, garnering acclaim and recognition with awards including Clios, AICP Awards and Cannes Lions.
In 2009 Jackie and Park Pictures backed filmmaker Joachim Back's short film "The New Tenants," which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2010.
Galt Niederhoffer -- Park Pictures Features Partner, Writer/Director/Producer
Ms. Niederhoffer is an acclaimed film producer with 21 produced feature films to her credit. While this would be represent a stunning lifetime body-of-work for most producers, Galt has achieved all of this at a surprisingly young age and is moving full steam ahead with two films currently in production. "Variety" has featured Galt as a Rising Producer and Entertainment Weekly includes her on its Indie Power List.
Eight of her films have shown in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and seven of them have won awards at Sundance, a record for a producer, and a reflection of the quality of her work. Ms. Niederhoffer is the author of two novels, published St Martin's Press. Her third will be published in fall 2012.
Sam Bisbee -- Park Pictures Features Partner, Producer "The New Tenants", Sam's film debut as a Producer, won the Academy Award in 2010 for Best Live Action Short. He executive produced and co-wrote the screenplay and songs for the slasher musical "Don't Go In the Woods", directed by Vincent D'onofrio. As a screenwriter, Sam has four films co-written with his writing partner Joe Vinciguerra including an adaptation of an Eric Bogosian novel "Mall," two other projects to be directed by Vincent D'onofrio, and a script in development with acclaimed cinematographer Lance Acord. As a singer/songwriter/composer and record producer, he has recorded and released 5 critically acclaimed albums on 4 record labels, and performs regularly in New York City. Sam is also signed to a
publishing deal by "Nettwerk". Sam's songs have been featured on numerous television shows: "Damages", "Private Practice", and "Life Unexpected" to name a few. Sam has composed the score for 4 feature length films and numerous shorts, as well as the music for over 20 commercials, including his remake of "Hanging on the Telephone" for AT&T, which featured Cat Power.
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takes other R-rated comedies to school
