Today, The Creative Coalition selected the award-winning and critically-acclaimed feature, THE DIRTIES, for the organization's prestigious 2013 Spotlight Initiative Film Slate. The movie is directed by Matt Johnson, who stars in the film alongside Owen Williams. Johnson also wrote the film along with Evan Morgan and Josh Boles. Matthew Miller, Johnson, Morgan, and Jared Raab are producers. THE DIRTIES made its world premiere at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, where it won the Narrative Grand Jury Prize. XYZ Films represented the film at Slamdance and sold it to Phase 4 Films, who will release it October 4, 2013 in theaters and on VOD via its distribution partnership with acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Smith (CLERKS, RED STATE) through the Kevin Smith Movie Club.
THE DIRTIES follows two best friends as they film a dark comedy about killing the bullies in their school. One of them isn't joking.
"THE DIRTIES brings two critical issues to the forefront - bullying and gun violence. The film embodies the type of content we identify for The Creative Coalition's Spotlight Initiative, and we look forward to supporting a film that educates and inspires those who can influence positive changes to our current policy," said Robin Bronk, CEO of The Creative Coalition.
Director Kevin Smith said, "I've always wanted to say this about a movie I made and mean it, but never could. Now, thanks to THE DIRTIES, I can: This is the most important film you will see all year. Matt Johnson has mashed-up the found footage film and the faux-documentary genres and crafted the most original, hypnotic, and human movie about a monster-in-the-making you will ever see. Not only is THE DIRTIES an astonishingly great first film, it has the stones to deal with some very real subject matter in a mature, important way. Big thanks to Kevin Smith Movie Club's own Elyse Seiden as well as all of our partners at Phase 4 for landing this very big fish for the Kevin Smith Movie Club. I'm crazy proud to be associated in any way with THE DIRTIES - a landmark achievement in not just indie film, but cinema in general."
"Matt Johnson has written and directed an insightful and thought-provoking film that audiences will talk about for a long time," says Berry Meyerowitz, Phase 4's President & CEO. "THE DIRTIES is a daring and entertaining movie and we are thrilled to have it as part of the Kevin Smith Movie Club."
The Creative Coalition's Spotlight Initiative champions the art and craft of independent filmmaking by providing cause-related marketing strategies and issue campaign resources that allow the film's message to reach beyond the movie screen. By bringing in influencers from the business, entertainment, arts and policy arenas to support Spotlight Initiative films, The Creative Coalition (
www.thecreativecoalition.org) is able to promote socially relevant, independent filmmaking.
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