EXCLUSIVE: Indie distributor Variance Films has snapped up North American rights to the period drama Amerikatsi, written and directed by and starring Michael A. Goorjian, slating it for an exclusive theatrical release in New York and L.A. on Friday, September 8, with a national rollout to follow.
Shot in Armenia by People of Ar Productions, Amerikatsi centers on Charlie (Goorjian), who returns to the country in 1948 — decades after fleeing to the U.S. as a child, due to persecution by the Ottoman Empire. What he finds in doing so is a country crushed under Soviet rule. And after being unjustly imprisoned, Charlie falls into despair, until he discovers that he can see into a nearby apartment from his cell window — the home of a prison guard. As his life unexpectedly becomes entwined with the man’s, he begins to see that the true spirit of his homeland is alive in its passionate people.
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The tale is a personal one for Goorjian, the Emmy-winning actor known for Party of Five, SLC Punk! and his directorial vehicle Illusion, whose own grandparents fled the Ottoman Empire. He produced the film alongside R. Patrick Malkassian, Arman Nshanian and Sol Tryon, with Hovik Keuchkerian, Nelli Uvarova, Mikhail Trukhin, Narine Girgoryan and Jean-Pierre Nshanian rounding out the cast. Vartan Barsoumian and Serj Tankian served as exec producers, with Amadeus Entertainment now on board to handle international sales.
“Back in the 90s, I was fortunate enough to work on a lot of great indie films which inspired me to start writing and directing my own projects,” shared Goorjian in a statement to Deadline. “It takes time to find your own voice, but with AMERIKATSI, I have done my best to make something true to myself and my Armenian heritage in the spirit of independent cinema.”
Added Variance Films President Dylan Marchetti, “What Michael has crafted here is a powerful, life-affirming, and crowd-pleasing experience, and we can’t wait to share it with audiences across the country through its initial release and into awards season.”
Variance Films most recently handled the re-release of S.S. Rajamouli’s critically acclaimed Telugu epic RRR, leading up to the film’s Oscar and Golden Globe wins for Best Original Song “Naatu Naatu.” Other past and upcoming releases for the company, founded in 2008, include Ira Sachs’ Sundance-premiering romantic drama Passages for Mubi; Sideshow/Janus Films’ Silver Bear winner Afire, Cannes Jury Prize winner The Eight Mountains, and Oscar-nominated Jerzy Skolimowski pic EO; and Park Chan-Wook’s Decision to Leave for Mubi, which earned the filmmaker Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
Watch the trailer for Amerikatsi above.
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