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Jan Rofekamp
FILMS TRANSIT INTERNATIONAL Founded in 1982 by Jan Rofekamp, Films Transit is one of the worlds leading international distributors of quality documentaries, specializing in the worldwide release and marketing of high profile, theatrical long-format documentaries. Films Transit is based in Montreal and has now offices in Amsterdam (Barbara Truyen) and in New York (Diana Holtzberg). NEWS TOP AWARD GOES TO STEVIE AT IDFA AMSTERDAM We are very proud to announce that Steve James' STEVIE has won the coveted JORIS IVENS AWARD at the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam. Next to the Oscar, Emmy and the Prix d'Italia, this award is among the highest recognition a documentary can receive. Last year, our wonderful film FAMILY, by Sami Seif and Phie Ambo from Denmark, won this prestigious award and was subsequently sold all over the world. STEVIE is a superb follow up to HOOP DREAMS, the now classic documentary by director Steve James and some of its other makers. We expect strong worldwide sales and an exceptional worldwide festival tour for this remarkable and deeply moving film. STEVIE started its career at the Toronto Film Festival in September, has been acquired for North America by LIONS GATE and has just been confirmed for the Documentary Competition at Sundance. IN OTHER NEWS At the start of the new season, Films Transit has issued a new catalogue with 20 new, exciting titles. With expect all the new films to be on our webite within 2 to 3 weeks. Check it out at www.filmstransit.com. Films Transit proudly launches three new American Masters this fall: Michael Epstein, the talented director of The battle over Citizen Kane and Hitchcock & Selznick brings us his new film NONE WITHOUT SIN ( Miller, Kazan and the Hollywood Blacklist). THE EDUCATION OF GORE VIDAL, Deborah Dickson's film about the famed writer and polemist Gore Vidal is more relevant than ever, as Vidal has always been a staunch critic of the US government. Anne Makepeace, who made the beautiful Edward Curtis documentary a few years ago, is in the last stages of post production of a major documentary on the life of photographer Robert Capa. From Bravo Networks in the US comes an exciting series FROM PAGE TO SCREEN, the stories of how famous novels became famous movies. Here are they: THE ENGLISH PATIENT, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, JAWS, LA CONFIDENTIAL, GET SHORTY, PRIMARY COLORS and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Other highlights are Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe 's LOST IN LA MANCHA, Academy Award winner Aviva Slesin 's new film SECRET LIVES, an entertaining profile of the world's best known PORN STAR, Ron Jeremy and Karen Murray's compelling and moving account of her own double lung transplant ADVENTURES IN BREATHING. CRITERIA Films Transit is generally looking for two types of documentaries. First there are the EPIC feature docs, generally more with cultural than social-political subjects. These are the films on LARGE international subject matters and that may have a strong author signature. They can be historical and contemporary and MUST have a very high quality level of filmmaking and tell a story that everyone in the world can relate to. Here are a few recent examples. Christian Frei's WAR PHOTOGRAPHER, nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD 2002 in the category feature documentary, the Amsterdam JORIS IVENS AWARD winner the Danish documentary FAMILY, MISSING YOUNG WOMAN by Oscar nominee Lourdes Portillo and from WNET American Masters comes GOOD ROCKING TONIGHT: THE LEGACY OF SUN RECORDS by Bruce Synofski. We have also re-released the fully digitally restored Maysles doc GIMME SHELTER. Secondly we are looking for what we call URGENT docs: these are generally TV Hour length films on very strong, edgy and provoking contemporary subject matters, that we feel people MUST see because of their political or social relevance. New examples are: SEEING IS BELIEVING, about handicams as witnesses to political events, A WEDDING IN RAMALLAH, an American- Palestinian goes back to Palestine to find a young bride, DANGEROUS OBSESSIONS deals with the frightening phenomenon of STALKING and Rory Kennedy's global AIDS film PANDEMIC:FACING AIDS. Films Transit continues to be release documentaries about CINEMA (historical and contemporary) : the FROM PAGE TO SCREEN series, AN MAN FOR ALL STAGES on Christopher Plummer and Michael Epstein's NONE WITHOUT SIN on Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan ( and inevitably also Marilyn Monroe. From the past: THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, A BRIEF HISTORY OF ERROL MORRIS, the Barbara Streisand production REEL MODELS and THE BRONZE SCREEN (Latino image in Hollywood cinema) Last but not least, with every release slate, you might find one or two all smart, intelligent and provocative docs on SEX such as WHEN TWO WON'T DO by Maureen Marovitch and David Finch and more recently THE BIG O by Michaline Babich and Bonnie Buckner THE FILMS TRANSIT CLASSIC COLLECTION In 2001,we decided to take a close look at our back-catalogue, and after evaluating the films, have created a 100 title CLASSICS CATALOGUE that features many great docs which have long sales track records and great reputations. Here are some of them: CRUMB, THE WONDERFUL HORRIBLE LIFE OF LENI RIEFENSTAHL, MANUFACTURING CONSENT, TWIST, Prix d'Italia winner SILVERLAKE LIFE, Oscar Nominees FREEDOM ON MY MIND, COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER and FIDDLEFEST (Small Wonders), Emmy winner THE CELLULOID CLOSET, Shelley Saywell's best seller KIM'S STORY, and the great documentary three-hour special THE COLA CONQUEST. From PBS - American Masters you will find two Mel Stuart films, MAN RAY. PROPHET OF THE AVANT-GARDE and BILLY WILDER. THE HUMAN COMEDY. Then the great LOU REED. ROCK AND ROLL HEART and Michael Epstein's ("The Battle over Citizen Kane") HITCHCOCK, SELZNICK AND THE END OF HOLLYWOOD, narrated by Gene Hackman. We've also included three of the Maysles' brothers true classics: SHOWMAN, SALESMAN and GREY GARDENS and films by Kevin Rafferty such as THE ATOMIC CAFÉ, FEED and BLOOD IN THE FACE. Films Transit is owned and operated by Jan Rofekamp. Montreal office: Jan Rofekamp and John Nadai. Amsterdam office: Barbara Truyen ( European co-productions and pre-sales) New York office: Diana Holtzberg ( US project development and acquisition) FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Films Transit International Films Transit Amsterdam Office Films Transit New York Office: IMPORTANT NOTE We will be closed during the holidays from Friday December 20th until Monday January 6th. In emergencies, you can reach Jan Rofekamp on his mobile phone: (514) 862 0054. On email via: janrofekamp@filmstransit.com Best wishes for a lovely Christmas and a prosperous, healthy and joyful 2003! Jan Rofekamp |
