Neon Pacts With France’s Charades For Innovative Global Distribution Of Three Titles Including SXSW Contagion Pic

Parasite releaser Neon is teaming up with Paris-based sales company Charades to oversee the global release of three titles: Spaceship Earth, The Painter And The Thief, and She Dies Tomorrow.

As announced on Tuesday, Neon is employing an innovative distribution strategy for Spaceship Earth while the coronavirus lockdown continues, launching the title May 8 digitally but also utilizing drive-ins and safe pop-up city-scape projections to screen the movie. Theaters and affected businesses, such as restaurants and book stores, will also be able to screen the film on their websites.

With the new deal, Charades will take on sales rights to the trio of titles, with a view to replicating similar strategies around the world with local distributors. The two companies will provide releasers with a marketing package and guidance on how to deliver the movie using the new model. Scandinavia’s Non Stop Entertainment and Australia’s Madman have already signed up.

The Painter And The Thief and She Dies Tomorrow are yet to be dated.

“We are thrilled to be on board of this fresh and engaging initiative to take those topical films to audiences in such a particular context,” said Carole Baraton, co-associate of Charades. “We look forward to working hand in hand with our talented friends at Neon and local distributors to replicate this very timely cinematic model.”

“Neon couldn’t be more excited to have found a partner in Charades. They are helping to bring Neon films to worldwide audiences alongside partners that share our vision. We look forward to working with the amazing teams at Charades, Non-Stop and Madman to create and develop release strategies and initiatives that will carry us through a global shutdown and into 2021” added Tom Quinn, Neon CEO.

Benjamin Ree’s The Painter And The Thief premiered in the Sundance Documentary Competition this year. When two paintings from Czech painter, Barbora Kysilkova, are stolen from an Oslo art gallery, the thieves are quickly caught – Kysilkova approaches one of them and asks to paint his portrait, forming a long relationship.

Amy Siemetz’s She Dies Tomorrow was to have its world premiere in SXSW’s 2020 Narrative Feature Competition before the fest was cancelled. Starring Kate Lyn Sheil and Jane Adams, the pic depicts a contagious virus spreading through Los Angeles.