Cinelicious Pics will offer an eclectic mix of new U.S. independent and foreign features and docs plus art-house and cult classics restored at Cinelicious.
“We’re huge film enthusiasts, first and foremost, and have a deep appreciation for how challenging it can be to bring a unique film to a wider audience,” said Bartok. “Our goal is to present work that is compelling, thought-provoking and wildly entertaining. It isn’t genre or era specific; it’s about quality and films we truly love.”
“The hope is that people share our curatorial taste and become excited for what’s next. Like a film club brought to audiences wherever they consume content, including the beauty of a dark theater,” said Korver.
The company will roll out its first releases theatrically in the Fall of 2014, starting with director Adam Rifkin’s surreal and outrageous documentary portrait of an outsider artist, Giuseppe Makes A Movie; Icelandic director Ragnar Bragason’s dark, intense drama of faith, loss and heavy metal music in the 1990s, Metalhead; and the acclaimed documentary Elektro Moskva from filmmakers Elena Tikhonova and Dominik Spritzendorfer, uncovering the secret history of Soviet Space Age Electronic Music and a new generation of indie rock musicians in Russia re-using these long-lost electronic synthesizers. Cinelicious Pics plans to release a dozen films annually.
“Cinelicious Pics is the perfect home for Giuseppe Makes A Movie,” said Rifkin. “Paul and Dennis know and love cinema with a passion rarely seen these days, and their commitment to film preservation is truly inspiring. They’ve also created a safe haven for new filmmakers – an auteur-friendly environment that not only offers up a new and exciting destination for directors, but also embraces everything our movie is about.”
For 13 years, Bartok served as head of film programming for the American Cinematheque, a non-profit film group that restored and operates the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. While there he organized retrospectives on such filmmakers as Jean-Pierre Melville, Mario Bava, Kinji Fukasaku, Anthony Mann, Samuel Fuller and the Monty Python group. Additionally, he produced and programmed the 3rd edition of the World 3-D Film Expo last September. Bartok is also a screenwriter and founder of Five Windows Productions, which released, through Lions Gate, the anthology horror film Trapped Ashes with episodes directed by Joe Dante, Ken Russell, Sean Cunningham, Monte Hellman and John Gaeta. Bartok will serve as EVP of acquisitions and distribution at Cinelicious Pics.
Korver founded Cinelicious in 2008 based on his love of celluloid film and passion for cinematography. Cinelicious offers a 4K pipeline with the latest 4K film scanning technology as well as a 4K DI Theater, which allows for real-time 4K color grading review and mastering. The company has provided post services for Michael Tully’s Ping Pong Summer, Richard Linklater‘s Boyhood, Jeff Preiss’ Low Down and David Gordon Green‘s Prince Avalanche. In addition, the company handled remastering of the television series Death Valley Days and a 4K remaster of Chris Nolan’s Following. Korver will serve as acting president and CEO of the new venture.
