Roger Michell-helmed film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival

Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company, today announced the acquisition of all North American rights, as well as select international territories, of Roger Michell’s latest feature film, Blackbird. Starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Sam Neill, Rainn Wilson and Bex Taylor-Klaus, Blackbird premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.  Screen Media plans to release the film in September. 

 In Blackbird, Lily (Sarandon) has learned she has cancer, so she and her husband Paul (Neill), gather the family and loved ones together to discuss her options. But once together, opinions vary, especially those of Lily's daughters, Jennifer (Winslet) and Anna (Wasikowska) and what was intended as a loving family gathering quickly shifts into a panaolopy of family dynamics.

Directed by Roger Michell (My Cousin Rachel, Notting Hill, and the upcoming The Duke with Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent,) and written by Christian Torpe, Blackbird is produced by David Bernardi, Sherryl Clark and Robert Van Norden.

“I think all of us were surprised by how powerful this little film turned out. It punches far beyond its weight and in the final round delivers an astonishing and emotional knockout blow,” said Michell. “But along the way it’s much funnier than we all thought too. The ensemble is faultless and the detail of their performances stops the story feeling maudlin or self-indulgent. I think we’re all really proud of it.”

 “It should come as no surprise with a cast as renown as the one in Blackbird, and under the direction of Roger Michell, that this film is incredibly engaging and moving but also with moments of humor as it examines the messiness of living,” said Seth Needle, SVP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Screen Media.

“Blackbird is, without question, the most beautiful film that we have ever made,” said Jeffrey Greenstein, President at Millennium Media. “Balancing the delicate material with grace and levity, Roger Michell takes the audience on a tough, yet touching journey brought to life by an incredibly talented group of actors. The film deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible - an endeavor we’re looking forward to championing alongside the enthusiastic team at Screen Media.”

Needle and Mike Messina, EVP of Distribution at Screen Media, negotiated the deal with Greenstein and Jonathan Yunger, Co-Presidents at Millennium Media, on behalf of the filmmakers. Yunger and Greenstein continue to handle foreign sales. 

The Blackbird acquisition continues the recent roll for Screen Media, as their historic drama Robert the Bruce, which debuted last month, has been topping the independent charts. In addition, Screen Media announced the acquisition of Rod Lurie’s feature film The Outpost, based on Jake Tapper’s New York Times Best Seller The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, and released John Turturro’s The Jesus Rolls premiered on DVD last week. The company is also in post-production on Willy’s Wonderland with Nicolas Cage.

About Screen Media Ventures, LLC                                                             

Screen Media Ventures, LLC, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, acquires the rights to high quality, independent television series and feature films for the US and Canada. Screen Media Ventures acquires worldwide rights for distribution through theatrical, home video, pay-per-view, free, cable and pay television, video-on-demand, and new digital media platforms. The company acquires AVOD rights for third party networks and is the main supplier of content for Crackle Plus and other Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment properties. With a library of over 1,500 television series and motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high-quality tv series and motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets and new media venues. For more information, visit: www.screenmedia.net

About Millennium Media, Inc. 

Millennium Media. Inc. is a part of one of the longest-running independent film companies in the history of Hollywood, with 28 years and more than 325 movies to its credit. The company now finances, produces, and sells worldwide five to eight star-driven films per year, with budgets between $20 and $80 million. 

 Millennium is best known for The Expendables franchise ($800M), Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen ($375M), The Hitman’s Bodyguard ($175M), and Mechanic: Resurrection ($125M).  Recent box-office hits include Angel Has Fallen ($186M) and Rambo: Last Blood ($95M).

 Please visit: http://millennium-media.net/

 About Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The company owns a majority stake in Crackle Plus, a company formed with Sony Pictures Television, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported and subscription-based VOD networks including Crackle, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media subsidiary and produces original long and short-form content through Landmark Studio Group, its Chicken Soup for the Soul Originals division and APlus.com. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.