RLJE Films Digs ‘Into The Ashes’; Cinedigm Crowns ‘Miss Arizona’; 1091 Revs Up ‘Blink Of An Eye’ Docu

RLJE Films has secured the distribution rights to Aaron Harvey’s action-thriller Into The Ashes, which will get a day-and-date release July 19. The cast includes Luke Grimes (Yellowstone), Robert Taylor (Longmire), James Badge Dale (13 Hours), and Frank Grillo (Captain America). The plot centers on Nick Brenner who, with an honest job and a loving wife, believed he had safely escaped his violent, criminal history. But his old crew hasn’t forgotten about him or the money he stole, and when they take what Nick now values the most – his wife – he has nothing left to lose. Confronted by the town sheriff, who is also his father-in-law, Nick must decide if he will stay on his new path or indulge in his need for revenge and force his enemies to pay for what they have done. Harvey produced the pic with Robert Ogden Barnum, Eric Binns, Daniel Blanc, Jamin O’Brien, and David Cade. Mark Ward and Jess De Leo of RLJE and Barnum negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.

Cinedigm
Cinedigm has obtained the North American distribution rights to Miss Arizona, the dramedy that picked up Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2018 Bentonville Film Festival. The pic hails from writer/director Autumn McAlpin, who was propelled by the Women’s March in fall 2016. Miss Arizona marked McAlpin’s feature directorial debut. It’ll get a day-and-date limited theatrical, on demand and digital release July 12 followed by a DVD release August 27. The story follows Rose Raynes (played by Quantico actress Johanna Braddy) who was crowned Miss Arizona 15 years ago. Rose accepts an invitation to teach a life skills class at a women’s shelter where she attempts to share her platform speech with a room of four disinterested women dodging abusive exes. But when trouble shows up at the shelter, the five embark on a wild all-night adventure through L.A.’s darkest streets and wildest drag club as the women fight to survive and discover what they need most. Rounding out the cast are Robyn Lively (Teen Witch), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Nashville), Otmara Marrero (Crackle’s Startup), Shoniqua Shandai (I am the Night), Steve Guttenberg (Ballers), Missi Pyle (Nobody’s Fool) as well as Willam and Ginger Minj of RuPaul’s Drag Race. McAlpin and DeAnna Cooper produced the project with Michael McAlpin serving as executive producer. Melody Fowler, Vice-President of Acquisitions, completed the deal on behalf of Cinedigm.

1091
1091 has acquired the rights to NASCAR documentary, Blink Of An Eye, produced and directed by multi Emmy-winning filmmaker Paul Taublieb, the filmmaker behind the Emmy Award-winning Unchained: The Untold Story of Freestyle Motocross. The pic will premiere at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Theater in Charlotte, NC before it is released theatrically and On Demand this fall. Based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name, the doc focuses on Michael Waltrip and his star-crossed friendship with the iconic driver, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Over 462 races, Waltrip failed to notch a single win, the longest losing streak in NASCAR, when he joined Earnhardt’s race team for the 2001 Daytona 500. On the last lap of the “Great American Race,” Waltrip held the lead with Earnhardt Jr. in second and “Sr.” in third. Instead of making his trademark, ruthless charge to the front, Earnhardt Sr. blocked the field of 40 cars to allow his friend to take his first checkered flag. Waltrip never had the opportunity to celebrate with Earnhardt Sr., as the legend was killed on that last lap in what was initially thought to be a minor crash. Later, Waltrip would pay homage to “Sr.” on his return to Daytona in dramatic, unexpected fashion. The film features Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. along with Ty Norris, the former Executive Vice President of Motorsports for Dale Earnhardt Inc., and NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Richard Childress. The doc will also be made into a feature by producer Roger Birnbaum, with whom Taublieb produced the 2014 film, The Vow. Blink was produced by TAUBLIEB Films with support from Monster Energy and in association with NASCAR, with NASCAR’s Steve Phelps also serving as an Executive Producer. The deal was negotiated by 1091’s Danny Grant and Taublieb on behalf of the filmmakers and Waltrip.

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