Sacha Gervasi's directorial debut ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL is getting re-released by popular demand with a 200-screen special theatrical event on September 27th.
ANVIL! THE STORY Of ANVIL (2009) follows Canadian heavy-metal band Anvil as they delivered a highly influential 1982 album Metal on Metal that would inspire the likes of Anthrax and Metallica, and then dropped off the map to begin what would become decades of toiling in obscurity.
Gervasi, for his debut feature, followed guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner as their roadie, capturing their story as they stumble through a harrowing European tour and reflect on failure, friendship, resilience and the will to follow even the most impossible of dreams. It's a story about never giving up.
The film received widespread critical and public acclaim following its release by Abramorama and features appearances by an array of heavy metal icons, including Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Guns N' Roses' Slash, Motörhead’s Lemmy, Anthrax's Scott Ian, and Slayer's Tom Araya. The film is tied for 6th place as one of the highest rated documentaries of all time on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% certified fresh rating, and a 90% audience score with over 5000+ votes. And now, in partnership with Utopia, Abramorama is bringing it back to theaters!
Utopia and Abramorama to bring the 2009 critically acclaimed documentary by director Sacha Gervasi to theaters featuring an exclusive 18 minute new interview only available in theaters.
LOS ANGELES, CA – (August 30, 2022) – Utopia and Abramorama have partnered to release the remastered documentary, ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL alongside Portobello Electric for a special one night engagement in 200 theaters nationally on September 27th with select extended theatrical runs through October at National Circuits including AMC and Regal Cinemas. The rerelease is timed to the film’s 13th year anniversary and features remastered picture and sound, as well as a new exclusive epilogue interview, only available in theaters, with Director Sacha Gervasi (MY DINNER WITH HERVÉ, HITCHCOCK) and Anvil’s Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner moderated by former MTV host Matt Pinfield.
The documentary will be available for digital pre-order on iTunes and Vudu starting September 27th.
Abramorama first released the critically acclaimed documentary in 2009 and have partnered with Utopia and Portobello Electric to bring the film that captured audiences' hearts back to theaters.
“Sorry, am I on magic mushrooms right now?” said Director Sacha Gervasi. “Is this film really being released into theatres again? Someone please wake me!”
Abramorama’s CEO Richard Abramowitz stated “exhibitors across the country have been wildly enthusiastic about booking Anvil, to the tune of 200 theaters. I can’t wait to wake Sacha and tell him.”
ABOUT UTOPIA
Utopia is a film distribution and sales company that specializes in independent and documentary cinema. Recent Utopia titles include Gaspar Noe's Vortex starring Dario Argento, Lena Dunham's Sundance-lauded Sharp Stick and Jane Schoenbrun's acclaimed debut feature We're All Going to the World's Fair. Upcoming releases this year include a restoration of the Indie Spirit
award-winning Anvil! The Story of Anvil! by Sacha Gervasi, the Cannes award-winning Holy Spider
by Ali Abbasi and Dylan Lovelace and Will Southern's Meet Me in the Bathroom documenting the early years of The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, LCD Soundsystem and more. Utopia has since launched Utopia Originals, a division dedicated to the development, packaging, and sales of original film and television content. Its most recently announced project is a Blues Brothers docu-series with Dan Aykroyd and the John Belushi Estate.
ABOUT ABRAMORAMA
Abramorama is the preeminent global media distribution and marketing company for nonfiction and music films. An innovator in the focused, personalized form of film distribution, marketing, promotion, and live and event cinema, Abramorama provides customized services to filmmakers, networks, digital services, and IP owners, across all platforms and in all territories. In its over 20 years of operation, Abramorama has been the trusted film partner to many of the most respected global brands in entertainment, including The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, National Geographic, Discovery, AARP, MSNBC, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, Sony, Concord Music Group, and many others. Through a powerful global network of cinemas, digital media outlets, and affinity marketing partners, Abramorama strategically implements a unified distribution and audience activation plan for each title. For more info visit: www.abramorama.com
ABOUT PORTOBELLO ELECTRIC
Filmmaker Sacha Gervasi, along with Jessica de Rothschild, Hassan Taher and Jim Garavente founded the production company Portobello Electric in 2020. The company has offices in LA and London, with a revolving annual development fund to secure IP and hire writers to build a slate of Film and TV. Portobello Electric is a story first company, focusing on original, character driven film and television. They recently set up the physiological/thriller Keith at Searchlight with Peter Dinklage attached to star and executive produce with Haley Z. Boston writing. Other projects include WWII action/thriller The Greatest Raid with Edward Hemming (The Crown) writing from a story by Hemming and Ed Simmons, and Capable People, based on the Swedish novel by Klas Ekman, a darkly comedic suspense thriller with UK playwright Stuart Slade adapting. The company is co-releasing the remastered version of Gervasi’s acclaimed 2009 documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil in Fall 2022.
Director, Sacha Gervasi is a British-American filmmaker. In 2010, his documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil! won a host of awards including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary and the Emmy for Outstanding Arts and Cultural Program. His first narrative feature was the Oscar-nominated Hitchcock, starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson. He also wrote Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks. His latest film, the semi-autobiographical My Dinner with Hervé, starred Peter Dinklage, Jamie Dornan, and David Strathairn. The film was nominated for WGA, PGA, and Critics’ Choice awards as well as an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. He’s currently adapting a new version of the Disney classic Bedknobs and Broomsticks and is writing on Seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown, now shooting in the UK.