Business Wire
December 20, 1996
Jonathan Demme Directing Storefront Hitchcock For Orion Pictures
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme is directing Storefront Hitchcock for Orion Pictures, it was announced Friday by Len White, president and CEO of Orion Pictures Corp. and Metromedia Entertainment Group.
The project is a concert/performance film showcasing the singular personal style of British singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, for which Orion Pictures has worldwide rights. Storefront Hitchcock was filmed the week of December 9 in New York and will be released in the U.S. theatrically in fall 1997.
The project marks Demme's fourth directorial outing for Orion and first for the studio since his Oscar-winning hit, The Silence of the Lambs Peter Saraf is producing the Clinica Estetico production with Gary Goetzman and Edward Saxon serving as executive producers.
Storefront Hitchcock follows on the heels of the recently completed feature film, Ulee's Gold directed by Victor Nunez and produced for Orion by Clinica Estetico partners Demme, Saxon, Saraf and Valerie Thomas.
Demme filmed Hitchcock's performances in a downtown New York storefront setting with a live audience over two days. The material will include versions of some of his most popular songs, as well as new works that will be presented for the first time on film.
"We are thrilled to continue our successful relationship with preeminent filmmaker Jonathan Demme on this innovative project," said White. "Robyn Hitchcock is an artist with an impressive body of work, who has generated a dedicated, cult following over the years. Jonathan Demme is the perfect filmmaker to capture his remarkable brand of performing on screen," he added.
"The content of Robyn's songs are exceptionally visual. He makes movies in our minds with his lyrics," said Demme. "I hope that Storefront Hitchcock will capture the magic of a live Hitchcock performance on screen for moviegoers."
A soundtrack on Warner Bros. Records, Hitchcock's label which recently released his hit album Moss Elixir, will accompany the release of the Orion film.
Jonathan Demme's credits include The Silence Of The Lambs, which won five Oscars, including best director and best picture; Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington; Stop Making Sense, starring the Talking Heads, which received the National Society of Film Critics Award for best documentary; and Melvin and Howard, for which Demme was named best director by the New York Film Critics.
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