GKIDS Picks Up Acclaimed Animated Feature “Chico & Rita”

New York, New York — September 28, 2011 — GKIDS, a distributor of award winning animation for both adults and families, and producers Magic Pictures and CinamaNX announced today that GKIDS has acquired US distribution rights to Chico & Rita, the highly acclaimed new animated feature from Academy Award®-winning director Fernando Trueba (Belle Epoque) and renowned illustrator and designer Javier Mariscal.

The film made its world premiere at Telluride Film Festival, was an official selection at Toronto International Film Festival, and has been released to wide acclaim in the UK, France, and Spain. It will be qualifying for the Oscars® in the Best Animated Feature category with a Los Angeles qualifying run December 2011, followed by US theatrical release in early 2012. The film will be released by GKIDS under their new Luma Films banner for adult animation.

The deal for Chico & Rita was negotiated by Eric Beckman for GKIDS and Andrew Fingret of CinamaNX on behalf of producing partners Magic Light Pictures, CinamaNX, Estudio Mariscal, Isle of Man Films, and Fernando Trueba Producciones Cinematográficas SA.

GKIDS president Eric Beckman said, “Chico& Rita is a stunning, vibrant film, and a testament to the ongoing resurgence of animation as an art-form for adult audiences. This is a passionately sexy love story with a red-hot soundtrack, as well as a shimmering postcard to old Havana and bebop-era New York. With this pickup GKIDS continues to deepen its focus on unique stories and Oscar®-caliber animation from some of today’s most creative visionaries.”

Steve Christian, Chairman of CinemaNX said, “We are thrilled that GKIDS/Luma will be releasing Chico & Rita. To have found distribution partners who share our passion for the film is very exciting. We are looking forward to achieving a successful, quality market presence for the film in the US.”