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EXCLUSIVE: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is getting into the distribution business with their new labelAlamo Exclusives,which will offer limited run theatrical engagements to unreleased film fest titles on the exhibitor’s screens.
The move by Alamo Drafthouse comes at a time when it has been increasingly challenged for independently financed film festival movies to find nationwide theatrical distribution.
Kicking off Alamo Exclusives is the SXSW documentary Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt from filmmaker Tom Stern. The docu follows the wild, influential, and deeply Austin-rooted story of legendary punk band Butthole Surfers. A July 21 theatrical release at Alamo has been set.
Alamo Drafthouse will work directly with filmmakers releasing their movies via Alamo Exclusives, providing premium presentation, marketing support, and theatrical exposure. Pics from Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, TIFF, Cannes, Berlin, and Alamo’s own Fantastic Fest will comprise future programming.
“From the very beginning, Alamo Drafthouse has championed independent film and built strong relationships with filmmakers because we know our audiences value discovering great cinema,” says Michael Kustermann, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “Time and again, they’ve shown they’ll come out to support bold, original films when given the opportunity. ‘Alamo Exclusives’ is a natural extension of that. It gives us another way to champion filmmaker-driven films that deserve to be discovered and connect them with the wider Alamo Drafthouse audience.”
“Too many incredible films premiere at festivals and then never receive the theatrical life they deserve,” says Lisa Dreyer, Director of Fantastic Fest and Film Innovation. “We are actively searching for films across all genres, from horror to comedy, to everything in-between, to champion in this new, exciting way. We’re thrilled to launch the program with Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt, a film that’s bold, entertaining, unapologetically original, and deeply connected to Austin’s creative DNA. We couldn’t imagine a better film to kick off this new chapter.”
“I’m so grateful that Alamo Drafthouse believes in this film and chose it to kick off the Alamo Exclusives distribution program, said Stern. “I love that Alamo audiences are passionate moviegoers who genuinely embrace great documentaries and independent cinema. Knowing this film will be experienced on big screens by that kind of audience makes this release especially meaningful.”