Gravitas Ventures Takes SXSW's "Grindhouse" To VOD

Marketing material form Elijah Drenner's "American Grindhouse."

Gravitas Ventures has inked a two-picture deal with Lux Digital Pictures Inc. to bring two documentaries to North American audiences via VOD (Video on Demand). One of the docs, Elijah Drenner's "American Grindhouse," will make its world premiere the first Saturday night of the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW) on March 13th, and in June, "Grindhouse" will be available in North America on VOD through Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

"For those who can't make it to Austin, we are excited that 'American Grindhouse' can be made available in over 50 million homes this summer through our distribution agreement with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution," said Nolan Gallagher CEO and founder of Gravitas Ventures, in a statement. "As a company we'll license over 350 films this year, but given the appetite of genre fans, we were so enthusiastic after seeing 'American Grindhouse' that we wanted to make sure we acquired it before its world premiere."

As described by SXSW: "The feature-length documentary 'American Grindhouse' explores the hidden history of the American Exploitation Film. The movie digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment. Exploitation Cinema has left an indelible mark on American culture, and this informative and amusing documentary proves that its principles and popularity endure to this day."

Gravitas' second acquired doc is Andrew Monument's "Nightmares in Red White and Blue," which will debut nationwide on VOD just prior to the 4th of July. The film has recently been featured at a number of noteworthy international film festivals, including Deauville, Sitges and Athens. "Nightmares" is based on the book by the same title and tells the story of the evolution and history of the American horror film through interviews with prominent filmmakers, historian, film critics and others. It includes historical footage and film clips of the best and most famous and infamous horror motion pictures ever produced. Interviewees include, John Carpenter, Joe Dante, George Romero, Wes Craven, Darren Lynn Bousman, Roger Corman and many others.