SPI International and Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Partner for the Digital-First Release of "Emperor"
SPI International announces the premiere of “Emperor” on all digital platforms in the UK in partnership with Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment. “Emperor”, directed by Mark Amin, will be available as EST and TVOD on all digital platforms starting March 1st 2021 and on DVD from April 5th 2021 in United Kingdom and Ireland. SPI had secured the rights for the feature in multiple territories including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Benelux, Israel, Portugal, EE, CIS at AFM 2020. It was announced last month that Kaleidoscope will represent SPI titles on all rights basis in the UK.
“We are excited to continue our collaboration with Kaleidoscope with the release of the inspiring historical movie “Emperor”, which tells a remarkable story of courage and perseverance based on true events that will captivate the viewers. We are preparing to release additional new and appealing titles to be announced within the year with our partner,” commented Alexandra Puiu, Sales Executive at SPI International.
Directed by Mark Amin and written by Pat Charles and Mark Amin, “Emperor” is a historical drama based on the life story of Shields “Emperor” Green, an escaped slave whose chance encounter with the abolitionist John Brown in the north will forever alter the course of American history. “Emperor” stars Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games, Shades of Blue) as Shields Green. The movie also features Ben Robson (Animal Kingdom, Vikings), Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (The Young Pope, The Green Mile), Kat Graham (All Eyez on Me, The Vampire Diaries) and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Bruce Dern (The Hateful Eight, Nebraska). The movie was nominated for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture and brought Dayo Okeniyi a nomination for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.
Julie Paquit on behalf of VMI brokered the deal with SPI International.
About SPI International
SPI International/FilmBox is a global media company operating a diverse portfolio of 42 television channels and digital services on six continents. FilmBox being its flagship movie service, SPI is one of the biggest aggregators of native Ultra HD content in the world. Working with over 700 operators worldwide, SPI uses state of the art technology providing its 90 million subscribers with access to SPI’s linear and on-demand content including live streaming of UHD programming and FilmBox service on any internet-connected device via major global streaming players as well as local OTT providers. SPI recently added to its portfolio Film1 premium movie services in The Netherlands, including four linear offers and an on-demand service.
For over 25 years, SPI International has been a leading supplier of theatrical films and television programming in the international market. SPI’s solid alliances with major license suppliers provide compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand.
About Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment
Launched in 2008, Kaleidoscope is a global independent all-rights entertainment distributor, with theatrical, digital, physical and international distribution operations. The catalogue now contains more than 1,750 features.
New titles include powerful documentary Escape From Extinction, narrated by Dame Helen Mirren; That Click, a celeb-filled tribute to legendary Hollywood photographer Douglas Kirkland; and telling the incredible life-story of a revolutionary fashion icon, feature documentary Quant. Further catalogue highlights include Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing; Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner, The Wolfpack; animated superhero adventure StarDog and TurboCat, voiced by Luke Evans, Nick Frost, Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton; and from the animators of Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets, action-packed family spy-adventure, Spycies.
Acquisitions of Platform Entertainment and Icon Film Distribution have added further lines of note, including, adding to the catalogue titles such as rip-roaring TV series’ Spartacus and Black Sails, Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, We Were Soldiers and What Women Want, the Ryan Gosling starred Drive and Nice Guys, alongside Russell Crowe, Ryan Reynolds in Buried, the acclaimed WW2 thriller, Anthropoid, Nicolas Winding Refn’s, The Neon Demon, and The Road, starring Viggo Mortensen.