Image to distribute Celluloid Dreams films

Three-film deal includes The Color of Freedom

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 2/11/2008

FEB. 11 | Image Entertainment has signed a three-film distribution agreement with production company Celluloid Dreams, signaling it intends to conduct business as usual following the collapse of its merger with BTP Acquisition Co.

Under the distribution pact term’s, Image will release Celluloid’s The Color of Freedom on DVD in the U.S. on May 20. Image also is rolling out Far North in North America and Emotional Arithmetic in the U.S. on to be determined dates.

The Color of Freedom stars Joseph Fiennes and is based on the life story of James Gregory, a white South African prison guard who watched over Nelson Mandela for 20 years. Far North follows two women battling to survive in the Arctic Tundra, and Emotional Arithmetic chronicles three people who reunite after being housed together in a World War II detention camp.

“We are very pleased to be acquiring three films of such a high caliber from Celluloid Dreams,” said Image U.K. managing director Wendy Rutland. “We have been aggressively intensifying our hunt for quality feature films, and we are looking forward to working with Celluloid Dreams as we increase our ever-growing roster of titles.”

The deal comes on the heels of Image and BTP accusing each other for being at fault for the termination of the merger, once expected to close earlier this month. Each is demanding money from the other as compensation. At the same time, Image is suing BTP and affiliate CT1 Holdings to salvage a distribution agreement for ThinkFilm and Capitol Films.