Virgil Films Acquires Global Sales Rights to "What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?"
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Thursday, 13 July 2023 13:20
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Abramorama announced they have licensed sales rights for the documentary "What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?," a riveting film that blends political and social commentary, involving one of the biggest rock bands of the late 60s.
Abramorama launched the film in theaters across the U.S. in late March, playing to packed houses alongside a three-week run at New York City's Quad Cinema. Alan Light with The New York Times noted "How Cold War politics destroyed one of the most popular bands in America…the strange, intrigue-filled saga of Blood, Sweat & Tears." And Jon Blitstein from Rolling Stone added, "A fascinating look at a little-known chapter of rock history, offering fresh insights and facts while also conjuring perennial questions about propaganda, power, and polarization…"
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Abramorama partners Richard Abramowitz and Karol Martesko-Fenster, alongside Head of Music Evan Saxon said, "John Scheinfeld has once again applied his singular talents to a fascinating but little-known piece of American musical history. Blood, Sweat and Tears now fills another, entirely different, category beyond the jazz-pop innovations and #1 hits of the 60s and 70s: espionage-pop fusion! Critics and moviegoers have flipped for it, and we're delighted that Virgil will make it broadly available across multiple platforms."
Virgil Films CEO Joe Amodei added, "We are really proud to take this incredible story out to the masses around the globe. The story still resonates today."
Blood, Sweat & Tears, known for hits such as "Spinning Wheel", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", and "And When I Die", headlined the legendary Woodstock Music Festival and won multiple Grammy Awards, most notably 1970's win for Album Of The Year, besting The Beatles' "Abbey Road" and "Johnny Cash at San Quentin". This is the incredible never-before-told story about a top rock band that was unknowingly embroiled in a political rat's nest involving the U.S. State Department, the Nixon White House and a controversial concert tour of Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland, countries that were behind what was then known as the Iron Curtain. As a result, they found themselves in the crossfire of a polarized America, as divided then as it is now.
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What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears? sheds light on history through a fascinating lens, exploring a unique moment in time that has surprisingly powerful resonance and parallels to the world today.
Written, produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Chasing Trane, Who Is Harry Nilsson…?), produced by Dave Harding (Herb Alpert Is...), and executive produced by James Sears Bryant, the film was created with the full cooperation of the surviving members of Blood, Sweat & Tears and was released theatrically across North America in the Spring of 2023.
COO Karol Martesko-Fenster from Abramorama alongside Jay Shanker of Jayaram Law for the filmmakers negotiated the deal with Joe Amodei for Virgil Films.
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS? (USA, 111 Minutes, English – Unrated) Abramorama and Jesse James Films in association with Crew Neck Productions present a film by John Scheinfeld "What The Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears?" Music by Blood Sweat & Tears. Director of Photography Tristan Whitman. Co-Executive Producer Jesse Murphy. Edited and Co-Produced by Peter S. Lynch II. Executive Producer James Sears Bryant. Produced by Dave Harding. Written, produced and directed by John Scheinfeld. For more information, visit www.bstdoc.com. An Abramorama North American theatrical and Virgil Films global digital and ancillary release.
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About Abramorama
Abramorama is a preeminent global distribution, marketing, and rights management partner for feature films programming, with a special focus on music and social impact documentaries. An innovator in focused, niche film distribution, direct-to-consumer engagement, and live, event and digital cinema, Abramorama provides expertise and results to filmmakers and content owners worldwide. In its 25+ years of operation, Abramorama has been the trusted film partner to many of the most respected global brands in entertainment: The Beatles, Neil Young, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Green Day, National Geographic, Discovery, AARP, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music, Sony, and many, many others. For more information visit www.abramorama.com.
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About Virgil Films
Virgil Films & Entertainment was founded in 2003 by Joe Amodei to acquire, and distribute feature films, documentaries, and original episodic television series. Over the years Virgil has enjoyed partnerships with Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, Pure Flix Entertainment, Vancouver based Network Entertainment, Major League Baseball Productions, Morgan Spurlock's Warrior Poets, OWN and other high-profile entertainment brands. Their feature films have been available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Vudu, Google Play, HBO, Starz, Showtime and many other digital and TV networks. Virgil Films releases include the Oscar-nominated documentary Glen Campbell…I'll Be Me; the critically acclaimed best-selling Forks Over Knives; and the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo and its sequel Korengal. They have also released the entertaining I Am Chris Farley, I Am Heath Ledger, Code Blue, Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words, and the holiday classic The Real Bedford Falls. Clarence Clemons, Who Do I Think I Am was their first in house production which followed their successful five-episode documentary series Happy Jail which was a co-production with Netflix. Follow them on twitter: @virgilfilms www.virgilfilms.com.
