Dennis Bartok, Executive Vice President of Cinelicious Pics, will return to The American Cinematheque as General Manager; before founding Cinelicious with CEO Paul Korver, Bartok served as the Head Programmer at the Cinematheque. Bartok will remain involved in Cinelicious’ Acquisitions department as Senior Acquisitions Executive, while the company’s David Marriott and Ei Toshinari will assume the roles of Vice President of Acquisitions & Distribution and Director of Acquisitions & Distribution, respectively.
During his tenure at Cinelicious, Bartok has spearheaded a number of the company’s restoration projects alongside Marriott including Agnes Varda’s JANE B. PAR AGNES V. and KUNG FU MASTER!, Eiichi Yamamoto’s lost animated masterpiece, BELLADONNA OF SADNESS, Leslie Stevens’ slow burn noir, PRIVATE PROPERTY, starring Warren Oates, and, with Toshinari, the forthcoming FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES by Toshio Matsumoto. Bartok’s first run projects for the company include Josephine Decker’s THOU WAST MILD AND LOVELY and BUTTER ON THE LATCH, and Anurag Kashyap’s Indian epic, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR, among others.
“I’m hugely proud of the work that Cinelicious Pics has accomplished over the past two and a half years, from being named the LA Weekly’s ‘Best Indie Film Distributor’ in 2015 to releasing movies like GANGS OF WASSEYPUR and our recent restoration of BELLADONNA OF SADNESS. I know David and Ei will continue and build on that — they’re two of the smartest acquisitions and distribution people I know,” says Dennis Bartok. “The American Cinematheque is like a second family to me — it’s the first job I had in L.A. when I came here in the early 1990s, and it really feels like coming home to be there again. The art-house exhibition scene is constantly changing in Los Angeles, so this is a very exciting time to be back at the Cinematheque.”
“Dennis is truly one one of the premiere Los Angeles cineastes and I can’t wait to see where he helps guide the American Cinematheque next,” commented VP of Acquisitions and Distribution David Marriott on behalf of Cinelicious. “He showed real vision and passion in launching Cinelicious Pics with Paul Korver, and I look forward to continuing to work with him on the Acquisitions side. We’re excited for the future of Cinelicious as we continue to acquire and release the mix of boundary-pushing first run independent features and lovingly restored repertory titles that has become our signature.”
***
ABOUT CINELICIOUS PICS:
Cinelicious Pics is a distribution company bringing handpicked independent features & docs plus 4K-restored art house and cult classics to North American audiences via theatrical release, Video on Demand, and Blu-Ray. Past releases include Josephine Decker’s Thou Wast Mild & Lovely and Butter on the Latch, Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, John Magary’s The Mend, and Agnès Varda’s Jane B. Par Agnès V. and Kung-Fu Master!, among many others. Cinelicious Pics was recently voted “Best Indie Film Distributor” of 2015 by L.A. Weekly magazine. 4K restorations are lovingly brought to pristine viewing quality by sister post & digital restoration studioCinelicious, which has recently provided post services to Berlinale Silver Bear Best Director winners Boyhood(2014) by Richard Linklater, and Prince Avalanche (2013) by David Gordon Green, as well as the 4K restoration of Chris Nolan’s Following. Both companies are located in the heart of Hollywood.
ABOUT AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE:
Established in 1981, the American Cinematheque is a 501 C 3 non-profit viewer-supported film exhibition and cultural organization dedicated to the celebration of the Moving Picture in all of its forms. At the Egyptian Theatre, the Cinematheque presents daily film and video programming which ranges from the classics of American and international cinema to new independent films and digital work. Exhibition of rare works, special and rare prints, etc., combined with fascinating post-screening discussions with the filmmakers who created the work, are a Cinematheque tradition that keep audiences coming back for once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences. The American Cinematheque renovated and reopened (on Dec. 4, 1998) the historic 1922 Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This includes a state-of-the-art 616-seat theatre housed within Sid Grauman’s first grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. The exotic courtyard is fully restored to its 1922 grandeur. The Egyptian was the home of the very first Hollywood movie premiere in 1922. In January 2005 the American Cinematheque expanded its programming to the 1940 Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.