PARK CITY, Utah -- Robert Redford has announced the creation of a Sundance-branded theatrical film series to launch this fall.
The four-film series will begin in August and end in November, with one feature released each month in 10 markets. Pics will run exclusively in Loews Theater locations. Sundance Channel will oversee the series' launch and management, including the process of film selection.
Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Coca-Cola, Kenneth Cole Prods. and Volkswagen will sponsor the series with funding, marketing support and promotion. No titles have been announced.
Films selected for the series can be fiction or documentaries. Following their theatrical window, the pics will be released on video and DVD under the Sundance Channel Home Entertainment label, to be followed by a television premiere on Sundance Channel.
"Inevitably, there are many wonderful films of independent vision which struggle to reach audiences beyond the larger film festival circuit," Redford said. "It is our hope that this Sundance Channel program will draw a broader public to this type of work."
Loews' plan includes promoting the series in approximately 100 venues on about 1,000 screens with in-theater and local market advertising. Films that perform well could receive extended runs and wider release.
Sundance Channel senior VP of programming Paola Freccero will handle acquisitions with Christian Vesper, executive director of ancillary rights acquisitions. Sundance Channel senior VP of marketing Kirk Iwanowski, who negotiated sponsorship agreements, will handle series marketing.
Contact Dana Harris at
dana.harris@variety.com