EXCLUSIVE: Break, which is one of Rutger Hauer’s finals movies, will be getting a multiplatform release via Conduit Presents, the distribution division of Conduit Now.
Conduit Presents acquired the Michael Elkin-directed crime sports drama and has set a release for Jan. 5, 2021.
Break follows a young inner city kid who is wasting his talents on petty crime. He has the ability to become a world-champion snooker player, if only he can overcome his circumstances, his ties to the mob, and himself. Sam Gittins, and Jamie Foreman also star. Elkin also wrote. The pic is produced by Dean Fisher and Terri Dwyer. Break reps Elkin’s feature directorial debut following an acting resume which includes such credits as the UK TV series EastEnders, Undercover Hooligan, and Aux starring John Rhys-Davies.
Elkin says, “Break is essentially a rags-to-riches, urban drama about a London kid trying to make a break from all the negative elements of his life to do something positive. I hope people feel inspired to follow their dreams and make better choices.”
Hauer’s other final films include Tonight at Noon, which is completed, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Connie Nielsen and Lauren Ambrose, and Lee Tamahori’s Emperor which is in post.
Break joins a slate of other films that Conduit is distributing in North America during the pandemic including the psychological thriller Dark Corners a about an ex-soccer player solving the murder of his wife; the action-fantasy Viking epic Afterwalker, and the existential drama Obsidian Dolls about a young Jewish man who asks a Rabbi’s blessing for his own suicide.
On the global sales side, Conduit is repping Once a Hero, an action drama following a veteran who falls on hard times when he comes home and must save his family from an old buddy and himself. There’s also the documentary 100 Miles to Redemption about a veteran who beats his opioid addiction and attempts to heal his family by running a 100-mile marathon, and the docu Twin Stories about a New Orleans teacher who befriends two brothers whose lives remind her of her own dark past with her sister.
Brad Brizendine, co-founder of Conduit, said, “We love cinema, and in particular, indies that have that special mix of art and commerce that makes for great entertainment. We’ve been building our distribution capabilities for years, and are very pleased to be able to bring these quality indies to market at a world-class level. Our distribution division has been good for us and filmmakers, especially in 2020, when content has so much more impact than usual.”
Adds Kirk Roos, co-founder of Conduit, “We’ve recently teamed up with a new financing group called Heartstrings, which will help us bring inspiring and uplifting content to a market we feel is underserved.”
Hauer, the Netherlands-born star of such movies as Blade Runner, Batman Begins, The Hitcher, Sin City and more, died on July 19, 2019 at the age of 75 after a long illness.