PalmStar Entertainment is proud to announce that LIFE 2.0 is one of three films that has been acquired by OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK to be part of the network’s monthly documentary film club.

OWN is A joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE OFFICIAL RELEASE FROM OWN

Pic tells story of rebellious friends in search of the perfect party

Renee Zellweger is ready to party with “Pillage,” having acquired feature rights to former New York City nightlife impresario Brantly Martin’s novel of the same name.

Zellweger will produce “Pillage” with PalmStar Entertainment’s Kevin Frakes. John Krokidas (“Slo-Mo”), who penned the screenplay, will direct; shooting is scheduled to start during the first half of next year in New York City.

Newly minted PalmStar Media Capital will finance and handle worldwide sales.

“Pillage” centers on four best friends living in Manhattan who rebel against their dead-end lives by searching for the perfect party in the downtown nightlife scene.

Frakes established PalmStar Media Capital earlier this year — with PalmStar Entertainment, Peggy Taylor and Frank Pollifrone — to finance gap and equity investments in features.

PalmStar’s roster of projects includes “Lunar Park,” based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel and to be directed by Phil Alden Robinson; and “The Golden Suicides,” based on the Vanity Fair article about Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan.

Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com.

Zellweger ready for Pillage (Variety 6.01.10)
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December 3, 2009, PalmStar Entertainment and Andrew Lauren Productions are pleased to announce that “Life 2.0” (life2movie.com), directed by Jason Spingarn-Koff, has just been accepted into the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Produced by PalmStar’s Stephan Paternot, Andrew Lauren (“The Squid and the Whale”) and Jason Spingarn-Koff, this film is the first of a kind feature length documentary about the impact that the virtual community Second Life has had on the world. Paternot, who founded theglobe.com back in 1994, one of the internet’s first online communities, says of the film: “It tells a powerful story of the evolution of virtual communities and how such an immersive virtual world like Second Life has transformed millions of real people’s lives around the world, giving the audience a visionary glimpse of the future.” Andrew Lauren adds, “It’s a film about personal connection that illuminates a poetic hope in the strength of human interaction.”

This feature-length documentary follows a group of people whose lives are dramatically transformed by the virtual world Second Life, which as of this year boasts over one billion US dollars in cumulative transactions amongst its residents, and over one billion hours of total usage time. More than an examination of a hot new technology, the film is foremost an intimate, character-based drama about people who look to a virtual world in search of something they are missing in their real lives. The results are unexpected and often disturbing: reshaping relationships, identities, and ultimately the very notion of reality. A young black woman in Detroit becomes a star designer of virtual clothes and buildings, turning virtual business into a lucrative full time job – while spending 20 hours a day online in her parent’s basement. An American and a Canadian fall in love inside Second Life, yet each is married in real life — cheating on their spouses, they struggle to build a real life together that can match their virtual bliss. A man creates the avatar of an 11-year-old girl who he believes is an expression of his subconscious; to the dismay of his fiancé, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that unearths shattering hidden memories. They are a cross-section of the millions of users who have been lured into the virtual world phenomenon. Mixing high drama and quirky humor, the film uniquely explores the promise, perils, and implications of virtual worlds for society at large.

Spingarn-Koff says: “I joined Second Life more than three years ago and found it endlessly fascinating – something that until now seemed largely science fiction. There was clearly a story that needed to be told, though it often seemed impossible because many people within SL are extremely guarded about their real identities. It took more than six months to find the main characters, exploring the world while my avatar carried around a virtual movie camera. I’m enormously grateful for my subjects who opened up their lives, real and virtual, to share their stories. The film had humble beginnings — we raised the first $100 from other avatars at a virtual fundraiser – and it’s been a true labor of love. To now to have a chance to premier at Sundance is a dream come true.”

Jason Spingarn-Koff is a New York-based documentary filmmaker who specializes in science and technology. “Life 2.0” is his first feature, following a decade of work in television documentaries and journalism. He created and co-produced NOVA’s “The Great Robot Race” (PBS/BBC), about a dramatic competition to build robotic vehicles and race them across the Mojave desert for a $2 million prize. Other projects include: Development Producer for the Emmy- winning PBS mini-series “Rx for Survival”; producing/directing the first-person “Heart of Berlin” for FRONTLINE/World; producing/directing the lead story for the PBS/NOVA science pilot “Science Investigators”; and producing/directing two 1-hour documentaries for MSNBC, hosted by Forrest Sawyer (“Natureʼs Weapon: The Hidden Plague” and “The Next War”). His Masters thesis documentary “Robofly,” about the quest to build the worldʼs first robotic fly, aired on PBS and won a national Student Emmy. His journalism has appeared in national publications such as Time Magazine and Wired.com, and his experimental short films have shown in festivals and galleries. He is a graduate of Brown University and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Stephan Paternot is the co-founder and Chairman of PalmStar Entertainment, an independent film production company focused on literary and biographical adaptations, including a Gus Van Sant developed story called the “Golden Suicides”, and “Lunar Park” by Bret Easton Ellis. Stephan also sits on the board of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP.org), the largest national non-for profit organization dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers. He is also general partner of the Actarus Funds. Founded in 2001, these angel investor funds provide seed capital to Internet 2.0 start-ups. Prior to this he cofounded one of the first Internet community sites, theglobe.com in 1994. The company set stock market history when it went public in 1998 with a record setting IPO pushing the company valuation to over $1 Billion. Over a six-year span the website became one of the top thirty sites in the world with over 17 million users. In 1999 Stephan won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and in 2001 published “A Very Public Offering”, a non-fiction business book detailing his experience at theglobe.com. Before founding the company Stephan attended Cornell University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Stephan currently resides in New York City.

Andrew Lauren began his film career as an actor, and has performed roles in several movies including Sweet and Lowdown directed by Woody Allen and Conspiracy Theory starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. Lauren moved to producing in 1998, establishing ALP’s first office in Los Angeles. Lauren conceived of the story behind ALP’s second feature G which premiered at the inaugural TriBeCa Film Festival in May of 2002. Andrew then went on to executive produce the critically acclaimed film The Squid and the Whale. The film was nominated for an Oscar and went on to receive six Independent Spirit Award nominations in addition to three Golden Globe nominations. Most recently ALP produced the documentary This Is Not A Robbery which premiered at the 2008 TriBeCa Film Festival. Andrew currently resides in New York.

Film Credits:
Presented by Andrew Lauren Productions and PalmStar Entertainment
Produced, Directed, and Edited by Jason Spingarn-Koff
Producers: Andrew Lauren and Stephan Paternot
Co-Producer: Jonathan Shukat
Director of Photography and Consulting Producer: Dan Krauss
Music by Justin Melland
Additional Editor: Shannon Kennedy

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Frakes and Stephan Paternot, PalmStar Entertainment (www.palmstar.com), is focused on developing literary driven properties and true stories, and has over a dozen projects in development including two Bret Easton Ellis projects, “Golden Suicides” which is being developed in conjunction with Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk), as well as “Lunar Park.” which they will be producing alongside with Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur through K5 Film. Earlier this year PalmStar also hired William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Global to represent the company and its films for packaging. This effort is spear headed by Graham Taylor, who said of his relationship to PalmStar “I think Kevin and Stephan have demonstrated excellent taste in material that speaks to today’s generation, and which I know we can really capitalize on. We believe that K5 is the new powerhouse out of Europe combining production and world sales. I think the partnership of Palmstar with K5 International and K5 Film is a great combination.”

Oliver Simon, Daniel Baur and Bill Stephens established K5 International a sales, distribution and financing company in January 2007 with offices in Germany and the UK. Bill handles sales and marketing from London, Oliver and Daniel oversee development, financing and production from Munich. K5 International’s first break out hit was “The Visitor” produced by Michael London and Participant Productions where Richard Jenkins was nominated for best actor for the Academy Awards in 2009. K5 International is uniquely positioned in being able to offer co-productions through its sister company K5 Film, offering producers a wide range of financing, production and international sales opportunities. With a resolute strategy of quality over quantity, K5 International seeks to represent 5 to 6 feature films per year with budgets up to $30 million. K5 Film was established in 2001 by Oliver Simon. In January 2006 Daniel Baur joined the company as his partner in all respects. K5 Film also has offices in Berlin and Cologne.

Ellis will write the screenplay in collaboration with Van Sant who’s latest film “Milk” won two 2009 Academy Awards among several nominations. Ithaka Entertainment’s Braxton Pope will also produce alongside PalmStar’s CEO Kevin Frakes and Celluloid Dreams’ Hengameh Panahi. Patrick Siaretta and K5 Film’s Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur will serve as executive producers.

The true story revolves around the short lives of Duncan and Blake, who shared a radiant, obsessive love, an uncommon bond formed in no small part by their almost religious belief in the concept of bohemia. Duncan made a name for herself as one of the first designers of video games for girls, and Blake was an artist whose “digital paintings”—kaleidoscopic abstractions shown on plasma screens—had made him a rising art star. Together, they were a magnetic social force, who fast became the toast of the downtown New York scene. But out of nowhere, they developed a consuming belief that complex forces involving the government and various religious organizations were conspiring against them, which began a strange, downward spiral into a world of paranoia that resulted in Duncan taking her own life on July 10, 2007. In a Romeo and Juliet-esque twist of fate, it was Blake who first discovered her body on the floor of their bedroom, and it was Blake who, a week later, ended his own life by walking into the Atlantic Ocean.

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Frakes and Stephan Paternot, PalmStar Entertainment (www.palmstar.com), is focused on developing literary driven properties and true stories, and has a number of projects in development including another Bret Easton Ellis project, “Lunar Park.” PalmStar’s head of development and production, Courtney Andrialis, will serve as a Co-Producer on the film.

At the forefront of international production, development, sales and financing for more than 15 years, Celluloid Dreams has been responsible for developing the careers of some of the most important and respected film directors of our times. One of the few truly independent production and sales outfits, Celluloid’s most recent successes include Samuel Moaz’s “Lebanon”, which was just acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for US rights, after having won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival; and it’s two co-produced films In Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival: Marco Bellocchio’s “Vincere” and Jacques Audiard1s “A Prophet”, which came away with the Grand Prix and also considerable critical praise and sales. Always at the cutting edge of technology Celluloid, in conjunction with The Auteurs and The Criterion Collection runs the world’s first global online social community and independent film distribution network. Offering a more cost effective way of reaching a global audience as well as monetizing gross revenues for rights owners.

Braxton Pope, who has a production deal with Lionsgate, recently wrapped the indie feature “Shrink” with Kevin Spacey and Robin Williams, in addition to the 2007 film “The Take” starring John Leguizamo and Tyrese Gibson, which Sony operated Destination Films released theatrically.

A young company founded in 2007 in Germany and the UK, K5 is on the fast track to becoming one of the hottest, new production and international sales companies, having recently handled foreign sales for Aaron Schneider’s Toronto hit “Get Low” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black, which Sony Pictures Classics just acquired for North American release in Toronto. Other titles on K5’s impressive slate include Tom McCarthy’s “The Visitor”, for which Richard Jenkins received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor last year.