Julius Amedume’s neo-noir psychological thriller “Rattlesnakes,” rock documentary “Suzi Q” and the elevated horror thriller “Itsy Bitsy” are among the new titles that Kew Media Distribution will be introducing to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market, which kicks off Thursday.
They join a slate that includes three buzz-worthy documentaries: Rodney Ascher’s “Glitch in the Matrix, Michael Jackson expose “Leaving Neverland,” one of the talking points at Sundance, and Nick Broomfield’s “Marianne & Leonard – Words of Love,” also a hot title in Park City.
Scripted and directed by Amedume, “Rattlesnakes” tells the story of California life guru and family man Robert McQueen. What begins as a typical day of therapy sessions with his clients takes a turn for the worse… He’s expecting to meet a regular client in a rented apartment, but instead he’s ambushed by three masked men and held hostage.
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McQueen is accused of sleeping with each man’s wife. He pleads his innocence, but faced with being beaten and tortured, what he reveals will change all of their lives forever.
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The film stars Jimmy Jean-Louis (“Claws,” “Monster In-Law,” “Heroes”), Robinne Lee (“Hitch,” “Fifty Shades Darker,” “Fifty Shades Freed”) and Jack Coleman (“Dynasty,” “Heroes”). Jean-Louis produced the film, with Nik Powell (“The Crying Game”) executive producing. It is a Jet Media Production in conjunction with Hollywood Entertainment Productions and Scala Productions.
“Suzi Q” is the story of trailblazing American rock singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro, who helped redefine the role of women in rock ‘n’ roll when she broke out in 1973. The film includes testimony from a host of rock luminaries, and follows Quatro as she returns to her hometown, Detroit.
As well as Quatro those interviewed include Alice Cooper, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Cherie Currie of The Runaways, Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Wendy James of Transvision Vamp, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, KT Tunstall and Glen Matlock, formerly of the Sex Pistols. The film is directed by Liam Firmager and produced by Tait Brady.
Director Micah Gallo teams with special effects master Dan Rebert on “Itsy Bitsy,” which “weaves a character-driven story of responsibility, love and loss set against a terrifying backdrop of chilling scares and monstrous legends,” according to Kew.
The film stars Bruce Davison (“Longtime Companion,” “X-Men”), Elizabeth Roberts (“Old Fashioned,” “CSI”) and Chloe Perrin (“Mary,” “Single Parents”).
When Kara, a single mother struggling to raise two children in New York City, receives a job offer to work as a private nurse in the mid-West, it’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. So she uproots her family, moving them to the remote farm owned by Walter, a semi-retired antiquities appraiser who has multiple sclerosis.
“At first, things seem normal enough. But what Kara doesn’t know is that doom preceded their arrival in the form of a mysterious ancient relic. And, if her family are to survive the horrific nightmare now lurking in the shadows, they will need to confront their deepest fears and personal demons,” Kew said.
“A Glitch in the Matrix” relates the stories of people who have had reason to question if they are living in the real world or a computer simulation. “Leaving Neverland” is a two-part documentary featuring two men who recount their experiences of being sexually abused by Michael Jackson. Documentary “Marianne & Leonard – Words of Love” is the bitter-sweet love story about the relationship between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen.
