“Minyan”, a well-known sexual and spiritual identity story directed by Eric Steel, was sold to Strand Releasing in North America.
The film, starring Broadway’s Samuel H. Levine and West End’s ‘The Inheritance’, made the official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival last year and won the Outfest Grand Jury Prize for the American narrative feature film.
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In Judaism, a minyan refers to the minimum number of celebrants required for certain religious traditions. Set in the 1980s in Brighton Beach, the film follows a young Russian Jewish immigrant who is caught in the strict constraints of his community. He develops a close friendship with his grandfather’s new neighbors – two locked-in elderly homosexuals who open his imagination to the possibilities of love and the realities of loss. In the East Village, he finds a world teeming with the energy of youth, desire and risk at the height of the AIDS pandemic.
The sale was negotiated by Jon Gerrans of Strand and ICM Partners on behalf of the filmmakers.
“We are delighted to be working with Eric. His directorial debut “The Bridge” left an indelible mark on my mind as a director, and “Minyan” his narrative feature is truly a moving memory of a heartbreaking time in the AIDS crisis. and told with honesty and emotion ”. Hu said.
Strand is targeting a theatrical release in the fall of 2021. AgX and Easy There Tiger served as production houses. Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Eric Steel and Luigi Caiola are producers. Anne Carey and Johnny Belkin-Holland produced.
Levine, who stars alongside Ron Rifkin, made a name for himself in Matthew Lopez’s “The Inheritance” under the direction of Stephen Daldry. He will also appear in the upcoming “Red, White and Water” alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Samira Wiley for director Lila Neugebauer.
Rifkin’s long and esteemed career includes performances in “Silent Running”, “LA Confidential”, the “Alias” series and “Brothers & Sisters”, up to the recent short film “Daddy” directed by Christian Coppola. He is a winning Tony for the Broadway cover of “Cabaret” in 1998.
“It’s a deep honor to work with Marcus, Jon and their team – and still hard to believe that I can now call myself a Strand filmmaker. I’m 56 years old – I’m no longer a young man – and I’ve been working in film pretty much since the day I graduated from college. I took a winding path to make my first feature film, and Strand has been a beacon for me along the way as a visionary distributor of great and sublime independent films and especially in supporting queer filmmakers, ”said Steel. “So much so that their logo is etched in my memory after watching their movies over and over again – ‘Wild Reeds’,’ The Living End ‘,’ Love is the Devil ‘and’ Stranger by the Lake to name a few. some. “
Based on the short story by David Bezmozgis, the screenplay was written by Steel and Daniel Pearle. Visit Films manages the international sales of the film.
Strand Releasing is based in Culver City and led by Co-Chairs Hu and Joe Gerrans. Recent releases include Hong Khaou’s “Monsoon”, starring Henry Golding, and the documentary “My Rembrandt”. They will then release “Mogul Mowgli” by Bassam Tariq with Riz Ahmed.
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