CANNES, France, May 18, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Empire Film Group, Inc. (Pink Sheets:EFGU) (http://www.empirefilmgroup.com) has moved into documentation and closing on sixteen high-profile titles on offer at the Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film. The current acquisition list includes seven titles for theatrical release in the U.S. market, and nine titles for direct-to-DVD and Blu-Ray release. All of the Cannes acquisition titles will also be licensed for release by Empire into the television markets and the growing video-on-demand platforms.
"The response to Empire Films has been very strong here at the market among producers, and our ability to quickly reach acceptable licensing terms has been very encouraging," said Eric Parkinson, CEO of Distribution for Empire and head of the Cannes acquisitions team. "The production quality and commercial caliber of the films that we are moving ahead with is outstanding and bodes very well for the company's growing release slate."
In respect of the stature of the films being licensed to Empire, the company plans to release individual press announcements on a title-by-title basis, beginning Thursday, May 21st.
"This has been a valuable film market for Empire Film Group," said Dean Hamilton-Bornstein. "We have made a visibly strong presence and moved aggressively to acquire many of the higher echelon films that were on offer for the U.S. market. These new titles, along with our existing product slate for 2009 and 2010, will provide a solid foundation for Empire to reach its corporate sales and profitability goals."
Empire's theatrical release activities are being handled by industry veteran David Magedman, whose prior senior executive posts at Artisan Entertainment and Warner Independent Pictures resulted in hits including "The Blair Witch Project" and "March of the Penguins." Other key executives for Empire include D. Frederick Shefte, Esq., President of Distribution and James Townsend, President of Production.
Empire already owns or controls a library of more than 170 titles for the U.S. market, over half of which are currently in release. Upcoming theatrical releases for Empire include the award winning family drama, "War Eagle" and the epic CGI animated adventure "Thru the Moebius Strip." Top selling current DVD titles for Empire include "Hounddog" starring Dakota Fanning, "Come Away Home" starring Lea Thompson, "Grand Champion" starring Bruce Willis and Emma Roberts, and "Teen Yoga" starring Miss Teen USA (2005), Allie LaForce. In addition to the company's theatrical and video market releasing activities, Empire also operates Hannover House, a successful and well-established book publishing label, founded in 1993.
Learn more about Empire Film Group at www.empirefilmgroup.com