Foundrywire

In July 2005, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks (Shine, No Reservations) began shooting a film about Philip Glass to coincide with the composer’s 70th birthday. Over the next 18 months, Hicks followed Glass across three continents – from his annual ride on the Coney Island “Cyclone” to the world premiere of his new opera in Germany and in performance with a didgeridoo virtuoso in Australia. The resulting documentary, GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS, would go on to become an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and garner universal acclaim with theatrical playdates across America. On April 8, the film will premiere on national television on the acclaimed PBS series American Masters, and two-weeks later, on April 21, will debut on DVD from KOCH Lorber Films. The 2-disc collector’s set features the 119-minute theatrical-cut of the film supplemented by over three hours of bonus features, including a fascinating audio commentary with Hicks, additional interviews, performances and more.

For over 40 years, Italian director Marco Ferreri stunned and shocked filmgoers with his daring cinematic visions. Politics, impossible relationships, alienation, madness and sexual frankness mark his confrontational films and on April 7, KOCH Lorber Films will release two acclaimed, international award-winners from the innovator’s canon. LA GRANDE BOUFFE, a 1973 U.S. theatrical release starring 3-time Academy Award®-nominee Marcello Mastroianni (La Dolce Vita, Federico Fellini’s 8 ½) and TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS, a 1983 U.S. theatrical release starring Ben Gazzara (The Big Lebowski, The Thomas Crown Affair). Both digitally-re-mastered films are presented with a 16x9 aspect ratio and Dolby Digital sound, feature an excerpt from the documentary “Marco Ferreri: The Director Who Came from the Future” and will be available to world cinema aficionados for $19.98SRP each.

In 1999, A RATHER ENGLISH MARRIAGE swept the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, with wins in the Best Drama, Best Editing, Best Original Music and Best Actor categories. The drama aired in the U.S. on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre, garnering praise from critics who deemed the television production “outstanding,” (New York Times) and the acting by Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay “remarkable,” (Boston Globe). This April, E1 Entertainment brings the bittersweet tale of class, friendship and old age to DVD for the first time. A RATHER ENGLISH MARRIAGE will be available in stores April 7 for $24.98SRP.

Near the end of the tumultuous “Time of Troubles” era, Russia faced its bloodiest conflict. As a volunteer army faced off against the invading Polish-Lithuanian aggressors, the Russian government lay in shambles. 1612, the big-budget patriotic epic commissioned by the Kremlin, tells the story of historical figures Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who together saved the Russian motherland from eminent ruin. An Official Selection of the Kiev International Film Festival in 2007, 1612 makes its U.S. debut on DVD on April 7 for $26.98 SRP

This past January, due to the bravery and skill of Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, and the proximity of New York’s Hudson River, US Airways Flight 1549 and its 155 passengers survived a potentially deadly disaster. Unfortunately, many mid-air emergencies don’t end as well. From the National Geographic Channel’s gripping, real-life series comes MAYDAY: AIR DISASTERS (originally broadcast as "Mayday: Air Emergency") featuring six unforgettable episodes which provide a compelling, in-depth look at the critical moments before, during and after these catastrophes. The MAYDAY: AIR DISASTERS 2-DVD set lands in-stores April 7 for $24.98SRP…only from E1 Entertainment.