Tribeca Film has picked up the North American rights for director Chris Kenneally and Keanu Reeves documentary Side by Side and will release the film this summer:
Tribeca Film announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Side by Side, a provocative and illuminating journey through the technical and aesthetic implications of the transition from traditional film to digital technology.
Produced and presented by Keanu Reeves and directed by Chris Kenneally, Reeves takes you on a tour of the past and the future of filmmaking in Side by Side. Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood’s masters, such as Danny Boyle, James Cameron, David Fincher, George Lucas, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, Lars Von Trier, The Wachowskis, and many more.
A summer release is planned for the film, which is having its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. In addition to Tribeca Film’s multi-platform rollout, the filmmakers plan a broadcast premiere early next year and will bring the film to college campuses and film schools to continue the conversation.
“Cinema is at a tipping point. Digital has challenged, and in some ways completely overturned, a process of making movies on photochemical film that has been a tradition for over one hundred years,” states Chris Kenneally, the director. “Side by Side is an intimate conversation between Keanu and the top professionals in the industry about this revolution and its impact.”
“Keanu Reeves has long distinguished himself with compelling and original performances, but with Side By Side he demonstrates another dimension: remarkable passion and thoughtfulness about the state of film itself,” said Nancy Schafer, EVP of Tribeca Enterprises. “Chris Kenneally has created a fantastic resource about the film medium and we are anticipating a great dialogue throughout this year as audiences experience Side by Side.”
The deal was negotiated for Tribeca Film by Nick Savva, Director of Acquisitions, and on behalf of the filmmakers by producer Justin Szlasa and attorney Marc Simon of Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP.
