Stephen Low Films Focus of MGM Partnership

Stephen Low Films Focus of MGM Partnership

July 2, 2020

The Stephen Low Company’s U.S. distributor K2 Studios has partnered with MGM Television providing an extended international 4K television outlet for The Stephen Low Company’s premium documentary content.

The partnership is part of MGM’s push into factual, documentaries and specials first announced late in 2019 by President of Unscripted & Alternative Television, and Orion Television, Barry Poznick. The studio’s new factual division is based out of London and is headed by Executive Vice President, Richard Bedser. The division is focused on creating premium factual content and partnering with top-tier documentary talent from around the globe.

The distribution and production deal features key titles in The Stephen Low Company library, including the top-grossing motion picture Fighter Pilot; Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D featuring 11-time World Champion surfer Kelly Slater; Aircraft Carrier 3D and; the recent Secrets of the Universe 3D, a film profiling ground-breaking science unfolding at the particle accelerator at CERN in Switzerland.

Pietro L. Serapiglia, Producer and VP Distribution for The Stephen Low Company saluted the agreement as a milestone in advancing the company’s unique documentary presence on screens globally. K2 Studios President Mark Kresser added, “We are thrilled to join forces with MGM, arguably the most storied studio in Hollywood, with an unmatched history of success for nearly 100 years in both film and television. The distribution deal also includes such classic titles from director Stephen Low, as: Rocky Mountain Express; The Trolley; the top-grossing nature film Beavers; Rescue 3D; Legends of Flight 3D; and the ground-breaking deep ocean film Volcanoes of the Deep Sea.

 About The Stephen Low Company

Founded in 1986, The Stephen Low Company is the creative force behind more than 18 giant screen experiences—some of the most groundbreaking and top-performing films in the industry. From themes of deep-sea exploration to competitive racing, from natural history to leading-edge science to epic history, the team has shaped some of the biggest stories ever told. The company’s projects have not only pushed the technological limits of cinema, but also helped transform how we see the world around us. The Stephen Low Company is also a key distributor of the giant screen experience, licensing premium documentary projects to giant screen exhibitors around the world and to a range of media channels. The company’s films are launched and showcased on the world’s largest screens in the world’s top museums and science centers and reach audiences on high-fidelity screens in markets everywhere. Imbued with premium image quality and screen impact, the company’s projects are used by leading manufacturers to showcase state-of-the-art motion picture technologies, from laser projection, to 3D, to super ultra-high definition televisions, to the phone in your pocket. For more information, visit www.stephenlow.com

About Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network EPIX, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco and digital distributors. In addition, MGM has investments in numerous other television channels, digital platforms and interactive ventures and is producing premium short-form content for distribution. For more information, visit www.mgm.com

About K2 Studios
Originally founded in 1997, K2 Studios has become a global leader in the distribution of documentary films for IMAX®, Giant Screen and other specialty theaters. Since 2000, K2 has executive produced, produced or distributed 16 Giant Screen films, with an additional 10 titles currently in production or development. K2 has generated over $55mm in sponsor revenue for brand integration into its films and TV programming. For more information, visit www.k2studios.us

 

The Trolley has its World Premiere at Hot Docs / Launches at Ontario Place Cinesphere

The Trolley has its World Premiere at Hot Docs / Launches at Ontario Place Cinesphere

The Trolley is Hot Doc at Hot Docs

The Trolley IMAX Experience received a tremendous reception at its World Premiere from a capacity audience at Toronto’s Ontario Place Cinesphere IMAX. Exhibited as a special presentation at the Hot Docs Toronto International Documentary Film Festival on Saturday May 5th, the event attracted an enthusiastic audience of more than six hundred.

The screening included an introduction by Alex Rogalski (Hot Docs senior Canadian programmer), a videotaped address by filmmaker Stephen Low (filming at sea for a new IMAX production) and a post-screening Q&A session by producers Pietro Serapiglia and Alexander Low. Toronto Launch. Following the World Premiere and widespread media coverage (over 51 pieces of coverage and an estimated reach and readership of 227 million), a public run of the The Trolley at Ontario Place Cinesphere is now underway. The launch team for the film are gearing up for an exciting summer of The Trolley at the Cinesphere IMAX and are working to mobilize Torontonians and visitors to the city to share the ride and come down to Toronto’s lakeshore playground to experience this immersive globe-trotting true story of a remarkable invention and its worldwide impact.
About the film. As communities across North America and around the world continue to fight traffic gridlock and debate their transportation needs, a new IMAX documentary shares a story about getting the world on track. The Trolley propels audiences on a journey through some 34 cities and 15 countries to relate the story of a most remarkable invention. The film tackles global warming and urban transportation head-on with an incisive look at a breakthrough electric technology of the 19th century that still beats the pants off transportation technologies of today. Find out more about The Trolley here: The Trolley Additional markets. In addition to Ontario Place Cinesphere, The Trolley will also launch at: Pacific Science Centre, Seattle; the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Gatineau); Telus World of Science, Edmonton and; IMAX Victoria at the Royal BC Museum among other locations. About the Cinesphere, Ontario Place. Recently refurbished with state-of-the-art IMAX-with-Laser projection and proprietary 12-channel sound system, the historic Cinesphere (the first permanent IMAX theatre in the World) is now once again one of the top cinema experiences on the planet. The Cinesphere is located at Ontario Place, Toronto’s recently refurbished and re-launched waterfront playground that includes the Budweiser performance stage, re-designed and re-forested biking and walking paths, beach volleyball and restaurant. To buy tickets and find out more about Ontario Place Cinesphere: Ontario Place – Cinesphere About Hot Docs. Hot Docs celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The event has grown into one of the largest and most popular documentary festivals in the world. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market. Each year, the Festival presents a selection of approximately 200 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the globe. The Trolley is the first IMAX film ever presented at the Hot Docs festival. Find out more about Hot Docs here: hotdocs.ca

Clippings

Media

Clippings

Interview with filmmaker Stephen Low about The Trolley [FEATURE/INTERVIEW] – audio clip CBC Radio Here and Now, Toronto Broadcast on: May 23, 2018 Director Stephen Low on his new doc The Trolley, the beauty of streetcars and shooting on IMAX – [FEATURE/INTERVIEW] Globe and Mail By Barry Hertz Published on: April 30, 2018 ‘The Trolley’ documentary explores the history of light-rail vehicles – [FEATURE/INTERVIEW] CityTV Aired: June 1, 2018 ‘The Trolley’ gives Toronto streetcars their long-deserved closeup – [FEATURE/REVIEW] Toronto Star By Ed Keenan Published on: May 3, 2018 Hot Docs 2018 Review: The Trolley – [FEATURE/REVIEW] Scene Creek By Dani Saad Published on: April 28, 2018 The Trolley – [REVIEW] The Gate By Andrew Parker Published on: June 1, 2018 The Trolley: Genius Invention Gets Love from IMAX Treatment – [FEATURE/REVIEW] Original-Cin By Liam Lacey Published on: May 4, 2018 New documentary a ‘love letter’ to streetcars and trolleys – [FEATURE] CityNews By: News Staff Published on: March 20, 2018 Toronto’s Hot Docs Festival reaches gender parity with 2018 lineup – [MENTION/SOUNDBITE] The Globe and Mail By: Barry Hertz Published on: March 20, 2018 Hot Docs Finally Achieves Gender Parity with 2018 Lineup – [MENTION] Exclaim! By: Josiah Hughes Published on: March 20, 2018

Media Inquiries

Sophie van Bastelaer, AlphaPR + 1 647-901-6416 sophie@wearealphapr.com Amy Saunders, AlphaPR +1 647-282-0269 amy@wearealphapr.com
“The Trolley” at Hot Docs

“The Trolley” at Hot Docs

Streetcars Get the IMAX Treatment at Hot Docs 2018

The Trolley, a creation of award-winning IMAX filmmaker Stephen Low,
showcases the beauty, history, and impact of one of the greatest innovations in transportation.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 (Toronto, ON) – Filmmaker Stephen Low, who has spent three decades producing and perfecting large-format cinema experiences, will have his newest project, The Trolley, debut as a Special Presentation at Hot Docs 2018. The Trolley propels audiences on a journey around the world to explore the power and potential of the trolley, tram or streetcar—a once nearly forgotten masterpiece of 19th century innovation. The film’s stunning aesthetic and ‘how-things-work’ approach turn a streetcar ride into something extraordinary. Following the trolley’s rollercoaster existence from 19th century invention to near extinction in the 1960s, the film focuses on Toronto as one of the only cities in North America to have retained an extensive streetcar network. The Trolley will have its World Premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on Saturday, May 5 at the Cinesphere, Ontario Place at 3PM EST.

The Trolley - poster

“The Trolley stares down the automobile. In climate change, humanity faces a global crisis that is in scale and complexity unlike anything we have encountered before, yet we already have the solutions. And one of them is staring us in the face,” explains filmmaker Stephen Low. “I had to make this film to give streetcars their due. The film may prove especially poignant and nostalgic for Torontonians, given that streetcars (trolleys) have been these charming fixtures in the city since before we can remember. I hope we are able to give people a look at how and why they evolved – and I hope that the film helps humanize the transit system that is so vital to our lives and future.”

Can the trolley triumph? This film is sure to stimulate passions in its viewers. Showcasing surging urban machines from across of the eras, The Trolley evokes nostalgia, romance and adventure, but also underlines the dramatic transportation dilemma faced by humankind in an era of enduring auto-mania and impending climate catastrophe. In its visuals, its storytelling, its soundtrack, and its overall enchantment, the film is accessible and informative, elucidating the true and enduring magic of streetcars, including the red rockets that have been seen as both a point of pride and contention for so many Torontonians.

The Trolley has one Special Presentations screening at Hot Docs Canadian International Festival, in IMAX: Saturday, May 5 at 3PM EST, Cinesphere, Ontario Place

Links

Find out more about The Trolley here: The Trolley
Find out more about Hot Docs here: hotdocs.ca

Clippings

New documentary a ‘love letter’ to streetcars and trolleys – [FEATURE]
CityNews
By: News Staff
Published on: March 20, 2018

Toronto’s Hot Docs Festival reaches gender parity with 2018 lineup – [MENTION/SOUNDBITE]
The Globe and Mail
By: Barry Hertz
Published on: March 20, 2018

Hot Docs Finally Achieves Gender Parity with 2018 Lineup – [MENTION]
Exclaim!
By: Josiah Hughes
Published on: March 20, 2018

Media

An IMAX press screening will be held in advance of the Hot Docs festival.

Please contact AlphaPR to RSVP and for details.

Media inquires:

Sophie van Bastelaer, AlphaPR
+ 1 647-901-6416
sophie@wearealphapr.com

Amy Saunders, AlphaPR
+1 647-282-0269
amy@wearealphapr.com