Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to director Danny A. Abeckaser’s World War II drama, Bardejov. The new film stars Robert Davi, Danny A. Abeckaser, Kyle Stefanski, Dean Miroshnikov, Darren Weiss Omer Hazan and Emil A. Fish, among other talented actors, to comprise an expansive cast. Written by Shmuel Lynn and directed by Danny A. Abeckaser, Gravitas Ventures will release the film with a theatrical run and on VOD in March 2024. The film has also been submitted to top festivals. Bardejov is executive produced by Yoav Gross and produced by Holocaust survivor Emil A. Fish, who was a 7-year-old boy in the town in northeastern Slovakia when these events took place.
“I was honored to be asked to direct this film, which will hands down be the most important film I will ever direct. The story of Emil Fish and the Jews of Bardejov from 1942 warrants proper attention to educate the world—those of all cultures—on just how horrific and unjust the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust was,” said Abeckaser.
He continued, explaining that “this movie is meant to give accurate detail from the perspective of someone who actually lived through what happened. No sugar coating, just the truth, with elements of compassion and family integrated throughout.”
Notable director, producer and actor Abeckaser was born in Israel and raised in New York. Also an active philanthropist, Abeckaser is known for roles in films such as The Irishman, The Iceman, LANSKY, Holy Rollers, his own directed films Mob Town, I Love Us, Blackjack and the currently streaming features released back to back this past August, The Engineer and Inside Man, both starring Emile Hirsch and produced by Abeckaser’s 2B Films, in collaboration with Wild7 Films.
Shot entirely in Israel with local production companies and actors, The Engineer will debut on Netflix on Christmas Day. The film was first released in August 2023 on iTunes, Amazon, VOD and theaters, and stars Davi and Hirsch, and many actors from the Fauda cast.
“Gravitas is proud to be bringing the story of Bardejov to North American audiences this upcoming March. In this historically accurate retelling of the treatment of the Jews of the Slovak village of Bardejov during World War II, viewers will be able to have a glimpse into the atrocities that took place,” said Bill Guentzler, Gravitas Ventures’ vice president of acquisitions.
Guentzler negotiated the deal with Paul Davidson on behalf of the filmmakers. The film’s score is written by award-winning composer Lionel Cohen.
About Gravitas Ventures
Gravitas Ventures is a leading all-rights distributor of independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into more than 100 million homes in North America and 1 billion homes worldwide.
Their recent wide theatrical release “Mack & Rita,” starring Academy Award Winner Diane Keaton, was released under the new label Gravitas Premiere. Recent Gravitas Venture releases include The King’s Daughter directed by Sean McNamara, Queen Bees directed by Michael Lembeck, Our Friend directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel, Vanguard, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan, The Secret: Dare to Dream, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Katie Holmes.
For more information, visit: www.gravitasventures.com, and follow @GravitasVOD on Twitter and @gravitasventures on Instagram.
About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City, Cleveland and Toronto. Anthem’s portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel with broadcast distribution across 10-plus countries and available globally through multiple OTT platforms; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world’s leading wrestling organizations; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed-martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in sports wagering, Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, a top outdoor channel in the United States.
For more information, visit www.anthemse.com.
