Vertical Entertainment Acquires ‘Out of the Dark’ From Participant Media

LOS ANGELES (August 25, 2012) – Vertical Entertainment and Participant Media today announced that Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to Participant’s supernatural thriller Out of the Dark, and slated the film for an early 2015 theatrical release.

Starring Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman, and Stephen Rea, Out of the Dark is a ghost story set in South America, where a young family’s new life turns from promising to terrifying when they are forced to confront ancient legends, ghosts, and a haunting family secret.

Out of the Dark will be presented by Vertical in association with Participant Media and Image Nation. It is a production of Apaches Entertainment, Cactus Flower, and Fast Producciones, in association with Dynamo and XYZ Films. The film was Executive Produced by Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Roy Azout, and Nick Spicer, Produced by Belén Atienza, Cristian Conti, Enrique López Lavigne and Andrés Calderón from a screenplay by Alex Pastor & David Pastor, and Javier Gullón, and was directed by Lluís Quílez. Out of the Dark was shot on location in Colombia and is a Spanish-Colombian co-production.

Jonathan King, Participant’s EVP, Narrative Film, commented, “Lluis Quilez, the latest in the wave of talented young directors out of Barcelona, did a wonderful job crafting a chilling ghost story with a powerful message, and we are thrilled to have Vertical on board to deliver it to audiences.”

“We are delighted to have our first affiliation with both Participant and XYZ Films”, said Vertical’s Co-President Rich Goldberg. “Out of the Dark is much more than it seems on the surface. We think it will surprise genre fans with its ability to reach beyond just the scares and great storytelling, and have a thought-provoking motif that will stay with them well after they see it.”

Goldberg and Peter Jarowey negotiated the deal for Vertical, with Nate Bolotin at XYZ Films and Jeff Ivers for Participant. Bloom is handling international sales for Out of the Dark.

More information on Out of the Dark is available at www.takepart.com/out-of-the-dark.

About Vertical Entertainment

Vertical Entertainment is a full service content marketing and distribution company, providing highly effective end-to-end solutions. It focuses on the acquisition and distribution of studio quality films, servicing a variety of revenue streams throughout North America including theatrical distribution, DVD, Blu-ray, digital, electronic sell-through, streaming, VOD, PPV, Pay and Free TV. Vertical Entertainment’s long standing relationships in both the content and retailer communities, along with the company’s marketing and sales expertise, creates a dynamic advantage for content partners. Recent titles include “Anna”, “Behaving Badly”, and “The Calling.”

About Participant Media

Participant is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant’s more than 55 films include Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’, The Help, Contagion and Lincoln. Participant, uniquely, launches campaigns that bring together government entities, foundations, schools, and others to raise awareness and drive people to take action on issues from each film or television show. Pivot, the company’s television network, is available in 45 million homes, serving passionate Millennials (18-34) with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. Participant’s digital network, TakePart, is a leading source of socially relevant news, opinion, entertainment and information about ways to get involved with the issues that shape our lives. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.