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Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Nov 19, 2014 12:45:01 GMT -6
variety.com/2014/film/news/gravitas-buys-spike-lees-kickstarter-da-sweet-blood-of-jesus-1201360218/Gravitas Buys Spike Lee’s Kickstarter-Funded ‘Da Sweet Blood of Jesus’ for U.S. Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Spike Lee’s horror-comedy “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus,” which was backed by a Kickstarter campaign last year. Starring Zaraah Abrahams and Stephen Tyrone Williams, “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” is a reinterpretation of Bill Gunn’s 1973 “Ganja and Hess.” It debuted earlier this year at the American Black Film Festival after the Kickstarter campaign raised $1.42 million from 6,421 backers to fund the production. Gravitas will release the film theatrically and on video on demand on Feb. 13. During the 30-day campaign, Lee defended himself against criticism for using Kickstarter and asserted that he was helping to popularize crowdfunding. “I really think it’s a fallacy, it’s a misconception, and it’s just plain-out wrong, with a capital W, that because someone puts $5 on my film, that was $5 that a young filmmaker was going to get,” he said a week into the campaign. Lee said Wednesday that making “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” ws “one of my most gratifying experiences in my body of work. The support and love we got raising the money through Kickstarter is a true blessing.” The film was produced by Chiz Schultz and Lee, and co-produced by Jason Sokoloff. The deal was brokered by Nolan Gallagher at Gravitas with ICM Partners on behalf of 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
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