Kandoo Films Launches Distribution Arm Kandoo Releasing

Kandoo Films, the Los Angeles based full service production company that focuses on emerging new artists, announced today the launch of its distribution arm Kandoo Releasing. Founded by Emmy® and BAFTA award-winning producer Howard Barish, Kandoo Releasing will strategically distribute its eclectic slate of quality independent films from emerging and diverse artists into day and date theatrical and VOD/digital releases for audiences worldwide.

"Our goal is to create a more direct connection from filmmaker to viewer, providing audiences with the unfiltered film viewing experiences they crave," said founder Howard Barish. "By focusing on this niche market, Kandoo Releasing will foster a home for passionate rising filmmakers and help quality independent films find their audience. Our boutique agency approach will allow our team to deliver the attention and personal touch each film deserves."

The first feature film release from Kandoo Releasing is HOSPITALITY, written and directed by Nick Chakwin and David Guglielmo, and it will hit theaters and VOD platforms across NORTH AMERICA on December 7, 2018. In the taunt noir thriller HOSPITALITY, Emmanuelle Chriqui stars as a mother with a checkered past who must protect her son when a dangerous man (Sam Trammell) checks in to her isolated bed and breakfast. Chriqui and Trammell star alongside JR Bourne, Conner McVicker and Jim Beaver.

Future releases from Kandoo Releasing include SKIN IN THE GAME, a Kandoo Films emerging artist title from first time director Adisa, which will World Premiere at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York this September. Starring Erica Ash, Elisabeth Harnois, Angelica Celaya, and Sammi Hanratty, SKIN IN THE GAME centers on the abduction of a fifteen-year-old girl who finds herself trapped in the horrific UNDERGROUND world of human trafficking.

A veteran of the entertainment industry, Barish helped launch Ava DuVernay's directing career by co-producing her award-winning feature MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, and most recently co-producing the Oscar® nominated and Emmy® and BAFTA award-winning documentary 13TH. Barish, along with Ben Weiss and Derek Kigongo of Paradigm Talent Agency, was instrumental in the creation of Kandoo Films' low-budget film slate that showcases emerging artists outside of the studio system.

Barish and Kandoo Releasing will be screening titles at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival for potential acquisition.

Established in 1992 by Oscar® nominated and Emmy® award-winning producer Howard Barish, Kandoo Films is a Los Angeles based production company that specializes in creating independent feature films, documentaries, and promotional and digital content for television and film.

Kandoo Films most recently co-produced the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary 13TH with Ava DuVernay, which garnered an Oscar nomination and multiple award wins including four Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, Peabody Award, NAACP Image Award, and Critics' Choice Award for Best Documentary. Additional credits include the ESPN 30 FOR 30 documentary VENUS VS., HELLO BEAUTIFUL: INTERLUDES WITH JOHN LEGEND, PUNCHING HENRY, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, I WILL FOLLOW, E! Entertainment's reality series The Entertainer, and FOX's historic web series, 24Inside. Kandoo has also produced multiple Promax and Mobius Award-winning advertising and branding campaigns for NBC, CBS, FOX, The CW, and many others.

With a focus on developing content from emerging filmmakers, Kandoo is currently producing and financing a new film slate as part of its recently established fund for low-budget features. The first film, BROKEN STAR, was released in theaters and VOD on July 20, 2018. Additional forthcoming films from the Kandoo Films slate are SKIN IN THE GAME and HOSPITALITY.