MAY 23,
2005 - CABLE PREMIERE SET FOR SPECTRES
NEW YORK, NY - Lifetime Television's sister channel, the Lifetime Movie
Network, has acquired exclusive cable television rights to Spectres.
The mother-daughter ghost story starring Marina Sirtis, Lauren Birkell,
Dean Haglund and Tucker Smallwood has been re-titled Soul Survivor
for greater appeal to the network's female demographic. The network premiere
is scheduled for June 15, 2005. |
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APRIL
19, 2005 - SPECTRES MAKES DOMESTIC VIDEO DEBUT
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Shadowland's science fiction ghost story Spectres
makes its DVD debut today. Released by Xenon Pictures through the Universal
Music Group Video Distribution pipeline, the title will be available for
rent through Blockbuster, Netflix, and a variety of video rental stores
nationwide. The title is also being carried by the on-line divisions of
major retailers like Best Buy, Target and Barnes and Noble as well as
internet giant Amazon.com. |
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| The DVD features a full assortment
of bonus features, including deleted scenes, an alternate gag ending,
the trailer, a behind-the-scenes featurette, footage of a potentially
real ghost captured during filming at the haunted location, and commentary
with the director, writer and producers. |
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OCTOBER
8, 2004 - SPECTRES WINS FESTIVAL AWARDS
MODESTO, CALIFORNIA - Shadowland's debut feature film Spectres
garnered two top awards at the recent Shockerfest Film Festival. The mother-daughter
ghost story was named BEST SCIENCE FICTION FEATURE and Marina Sirtis was
named BEST ACTRESS for her role as a workaholic mom caught up in supernatural
circumstances. The festival took place September 24-26 and featured science
fiction and horror films from Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada
and the United States. |
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| Spectres is scheduled
for a first quarter 2005 domestic video release through Xenon Pictures.
Shadowland is the feature film division of GOAL Productions. |
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SEPTEMBER
2, 2004 - SHADOWLAND OPTIONS SEA THRILLER
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - Shadowland, LLC, the feature division of GOAL Productions,
took another step toward its plan to produce 4-5 films in 2005 with the
acquisition of the psychological thriller Sea of Rage from writer
Laszlo Bene. Bene, who served as production supervisor on Shadowland's
debut feature Spectres, will also direct. Sea of Rage joins
the growing list of projects on the Shadowland development slate, which
also includes the college thriller April Fools and the World War
II adventure Distant Shore. |
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JUNE
24, 2004 - SHADOWLAND SETS SIGHTS ON WWII
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - GOAL Productions' feature film division Shadowland
has optioned the World War II action script Distant Shore from
screenwriter Sandy Santisteven. The project focuses on a German U-Boat
officer who finds himself stranded in the bayous of Louisiana as he tries
to complete his mission of sabotage while struggling with romantic feelings
for an independent young black woman. Distant Shore joins the college
adventure April Fools on the Shadowland development slate. |
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JUNE
8, 2004 - XENON TO RELEASE SPECTRES IN DOMESTIC MARKET
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - Distributor Xenon Pictures has acquired domestic
home video and DVD rights to Shadowland's mother-daughter ghost story
Spectres, starring Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation),
Dean Haglund (X-Files), Tucker Smallwood (Space: Above and Beyond)
and newcomer Lauren Birkell. Shadowland president Robert Ballo expressed
enthusiasm over the deal, noting that Xenon Vice President Stephen Housden
aggressively pursued acquisition of Spectres following an early
industry screening and has unique and creative marketing plans to assure
a successful domestic launch of the film. No release date has been determined
yet. |
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| Founded in 1986, Xenon Pictures.
is a leading distributor of ethnic and "dynamic niche" films
to the global marketplace. Xenon is well-known among consumers and retail
giants like Blockbuster, Musicland/Best Buy, Albertsons, Trans World Music,
Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and Sam's Club among others in the domestic video/DVD
marketplace as having created the first label for Black audience films
and the first label to license authentic Hong Kong martial arts films
for the sale-only marketplace. Xenon's 370+ title library includes a wide
spectrum of films: from 70's independent classics to a wide cross-section
of films representing the work of America's most gifted independent Black
filmmakers, including Barry Bowles, Brian Hooks, Mandell Holland, Robert
Townsend and Tim Story. |
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MARCH
8, 2004 - SPECTRES CONTINUES STRONG FESTIVAL RUN
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - The Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose has become
a very prominent event in recent years, and Shadowland filmmakers chose
the venue to make the U.S. premiere of their mother-daughter ghost story
Spectres. The film played to a sold-out primetime Saturday night
crowd, which was treated to a follow up Q&A session with director
Phil Leirness, producer-cinematographer Robert Ballo, writer-producer
Bud Robertson and leading actors Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next
Generation), Tucker Smallwood (Star Trek Enterprise) and Linda
Park (Star Trek Enterprise). The film was a hit with the festival
audience and was lauded by film critics as well. |
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| The characters are all
complex, and director Leirness lets the film flirt with stereotypes without
falling into their traps. This is an unusual ghost story and an excellent
bet for anyone interested in tales of the supernatural. (Ealasaid A. Haas,
Milpitas Post) |
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| (Spectres)
is an exceptionally well produced, directed and acted production. Sci-Fi
nuts will love the fact that there are so many familiar faces portraying
totally new roles and anyone who likes an engaging movie that offers that
little something different will also be impressed. In fact, it's a movie
for everyone. (Ray Thompson, Sci-Fi Online, Rating: 9 on a scale of 1-10) |
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| Phil Leirness's Spectres
is a heart-warming, mother-daughter drama that's also a ghost story. …
It's a tender story, well told. Rather than leaving frightened, you'll
leave, instead, with a little lump in your throat for the bonding that
you've witnessed. (Steve Rhodes, syndicated internet reviewer, Rating:
3 out of 4 stars) |
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FEBRUARY
18, 2004 - SHADOWLAND SIGNS WITH CREATIVE LIGHT
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - With excitement from the world premiere of its
feature Spectres still in the air, Shadowland president Robert
Ballo was pleased to announce today that the film will be represented
in all international markets by Creative Light Worldwide, a global theatrical,
video, television distribution and sales company founded in 1999. Ted
Chalmers, Head of Distribution for Creative Light, says the company intends
to continue its aggressive acquisition of 10 to 15 independent feature
films annually. Spectres will make its first appearance before
international buyers at the upcoming American Film Market to be held in
Santa Monica, California beginning next week. |
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FEBRUARY
4, 2004 - SHADOWLAND MAKES BIG SPLASH IN THE U.K.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Shadowland, LLC made a public debut in a big way last
Sunday, screening its first film Spectres in high definition as
the closing night gala of the Sci-Fi London Film Festival. Sony, a key
sponsor of the festival, specially outfitted the Curzon Theatre in London's
West End with high-definition projection equipment so that Spectres
could be shown in its very best form. |
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| Representing the film and
participating in a post-screening Q&A session were director Phil Leirness,
writer-producer Bud Robertson and leading actor Dean Haglund (X-Files).
The film also stars Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation),
Tucker Smallwood (Star Trek Enterprise), Alexis Cruz (Stargate)
and relative newcomer Lauren Birkell as a suicidal teenager who finds
herself in a story populated by ghosts, a psychic, a psychiatrist and
a mysterious orphan boy who just might hold the secret to her true identity. |
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| Spectres was produced
by Robert Ballo, who also served as director of photography for the high-definition
feature. Ballo is also president of GOAL Productions, Shadowland's parent
company. |
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