November 5, 2007

CRANSTON, RI – Strongheart Pictures will screen its new feature film “The Education of Charlie Banks” on Wednesday, November 7th for one week only at The Movies On Exchange, 10 Exchange St., Portland, ME.  This film marks the directorial debut of Limp Bizkit front man, Fred Durst, and will be distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Written by Peter Elkoff (Dirty Sexy Money, The Education of Charlie Banks stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid & The Whale, The Hunting Party), Jason Ritter (Freddy Vs. Jason, Joan of Arcadia), Christopher Marquette (The Girl Next Door), Eva Amurri (The Banger Sisters, Saved!), and Sebastian Stan (The Covenant).  This coming-of-age story, which spans from the playgrounds of Greenwich Village to the idyllic greens of Vassar College, is a riveting tale about college students learning to deal with life, love, and ultimately facing their fears. The film premiered to much acclaim at the 2007 Tribecca Film Festival, winning the prestigious “Made in New York Award”.
On the opening night (Wednesday, November 7th), writer Peter Elkoff and stars Jason Ritter, Christopher Marquette and Sebastian Stan will be in attendance for a V.I.P. screening followed by a Q&A session. Limited seating for the premier will be available for purchase at The Movies on Exchange box office. Following the premier, The Education of Charlie Banks will show Thursday (Nov 8th) through Tuesday (Nov 13th) at 9pm with additional matinee showings on Saturday (Nov 10th) and Sunday (Nov 11th) at 1pm. Tickets are $7 and available through The Movies on Exchange box office.

"Portland is a city filled with arts and culture," said Ken Guarino, CEO of Strongheart Pictures, “this is a great opportunity to bring a taste of Hollywood to such a creatively enlightened area.”

Press is invited to attend a press conference at The Sheraton South Portland Hotel
(363 Maine Road, South Portland, ME, 04106) at 11AM in the Breakwater Room. Filmmakers and cast will be in attendance to speak about, and answer questions regarding, the film.
For more information on the movie, visit http://www.charliebanksmovie.com or http://www.myspace.com/charliebanksmovie

About Strongheart Pictures, LLC
Strongheart Pictures, LLC (http://www.strongheartpictures.com) is a start up Management Company based in Cranston, Rhode Island. Its mission is to produce independent films -- bringing fringe and emerging directors and artists to a wider audience. Strongheart Pictures is designed to facilitate the development, funding, production and distribution of these films.

Anchor Bay Entertainment to Distribute
Fred Durst's Directorial Film Debut With
The Education Of Charlie Banks

October 9, 2007

BURBANK, CA  -- Anchor Bay Entertainment and Strongheart Pictures today announced that they have entered into an agreement for the theatrical and home entertainment distribution of Fred Durst's directorial debut film, The Education of Charlie Banks. The film premiered to much acclaim at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, winning the prestigious "Made In New York Award."

"Anchor Bay is thrilled to add The Education of Charlie Banks to our ever-growing slate of independent theatrical releases," commented Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment. "The film was met with tremendous critical and popular acclaim during its premiere. We're looking forward to being partners with Strongheart Pictures and allowing audiences nationwide to experience it."

"We are excited to partner with Anchor Bay Entertainment for the distribution of Charlie Banks, as they share with us a sincere passion for its success," said Ken Guarino, CEO of Strongheart Pictures.

The deal was negotiated by Anchor Bay Entertainment's Mark Ward and Bill Clark as well as Jon Sheinberg of Machine Management for Strongheart Pictures. "Jon's experience and knowledge of the film industry was instrumental in making this deal work for both parties" stated Guarino.

The Education of Charlie Banks (http://www.charliebanksmovie.com), written by Peter Elkoff, is a riveting tale about college students learning to deal with life, love, and ultimately facing their fears. Starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale, The Hunting Party), Jason Ritter ("Joan of Arcadia," The Deal), and Eva Amurri (In Bloom, The Banger Sisters), the movie marks the directorial debut of Limp Bizkit's front man, Fred Durst.

About Strongheart Pictures, LLC
Strongheart Pictures, LLC (http://www.strongheartpictures.com) is a start up Management Company based in Cranston, Rhode Island. Its mission is to produce independent films -- bringing fringe and emerging directors and artists to a wider audience. Strongheart Pictures is designed to facilitate the development, funding, production and distribution of these films.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a division of Starz Media. Starz Media is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes Film Roman and Anchor Bay Entertainment as well as the Starz Home Entertainment and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media is a programming, production and distribution company operating worldwide and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starz, LLC which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. and which is attributed to Liberty Capital Group, http://www.starz.com.

IN THE SWING Durst [left] on the Charlie set last summer.

If Kenny Guarino has his way, Rhode Island will become a mecca for independent film. His company, Strongheart Pictures, a management/production firm based in Cranston, opened its doors just last year, but has gotten off to a scorching start with its debut motion picture, The Education of Charlie Banks, which premieres this weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

A coming of age flick, Charlie Banks marks the directorial debut of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Eva Amurri, Chris Marquette, and Sebastian Stan. Guarino served as executive director. “I was involved from inception to final edit,” he said in an interview, “and although I had a busy schedule, I had great confidence in the script and a good vibe from Fred.”

It’s not the first time Guarino has seen success. With more than 40 years in a variety of business endeavors, from retail and restaurants to media and real estate, Guarino is one of the state’s most visible entrepreneurs. He’s bringing that track record to the motion picture industry. “Strongheart Pictures is just beginning,” he says, “and we plan on producing everything from biographies to docudramas. Strongheart is looking to expand to a full operating studio here in Rhode Island.”

In 2006, the company invested in the soon-to-be-released Brooklyn Rules. Set in 1985 against the backdrop of John Gotti’s rise to power, the story revolves around three lifelong friends whose ambitions threaten their bonds. It stars Alec Baldwin, Freddie Prinze Jr, Mena Suvari, Scott Caan, and Jerry Ferrara, and was scripted by The Sopranos’ Emmy-winning writer Terence Winter.

Guarino’s deeper mission with Strongheart is to bring fringe and emerging directors and artists to a wider national audience. This is why his work with Durst makes good sense. “Although it’s his first movie,” Guarino says, “I found him to be very bright, honest, and hard-working. He has the character of the kind of person I like to be involved with.”

Durst was an aspiring filmmaker before his stint with Limp Bizkit. He helmed a number of music videos and has since lensed an as-yet-unseen short film titled The Truth, a mockumentary on the subject of televangelism. Last summer when I visitied the set of Charlie Banks, Durst appeared sensitive, intelligent, and very much in control.

“During the filming, I wanted to create a positive work environment,” Fred said. “I wanted it to be like a family. Some of my favorite directors — their cast, cinematographers, grips, and everyone from their first film went on as a family to create more emotional experiences in cinema.”