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FLIX PREMIERE Close-Up Flix Premiere features its first Original production The other kids
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ORIGINAL
“A BOLD CONCEPT.” Cinema 365
“GENUINE & RELEVANT” Variety
“THE OTHER KIDS HAS THE LOOK AND FEEL OF A VERY INTIMATE DOCUMENTARY... A MUCH GREATER SENSE OF AUTHENTICITY.” Huffington Post
“HO NE ST & COMPEL L ING” San Francisco Chronicle
“PHENOMENAL ” Cinequest Film Festival
ORIGINALS DAY OCTOBER 28TH, 2017
a film by C h ri s B row n
FLIX PREMIERE ORIGINAL
3
PREMIERING OCTOBER 28TH 2017
The Other Kids
Refreshingly well-observed... genuine and relevant. Variety
Generations
of filmmakers have
Collaboratively building a series of
seen the dramatic potential and
intertwining stories, based on the
Honest and compelling.
tension latent in high school life.
real-life experiences of his young
Scores of television shows, mini-se-
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
actors as they prepare to
ries, films, and musicals can be found
graduate, Brown taps into the very
on the subject.
real anxieties and pressures faced by
Few, however, have had the
teenagers in 2014 small-town Ameri-
The result is a film that transcends
ca.
the traditional categories of docu-
courage to attempt an honest
mentary and fiction, gifting us with
portrait of the experience of the last
something in-between..
days of secondary education from the perspective of the students.
In The Other Kids, director Chris Brown blends truth and fiction in a bold and original formula for our first original feature film.
The Other Kids could start several conversations about ďŹ lm.
WATERMARK
4 The Other Kids has the look and feel of a very intimate documentary... a much greater sense of authenticity than one ďŹ nds in most ďŹ lms about teenagers.
HUFFINGTON POST
Powerful. MENDOCINO POST
Some anticipate a transition to
We observe whispered
college, others consider a military
conversations about hopes for the
career as a solution to a financial
future,
predicament.
present.
and
fears
clouding
the
Captivating... in many ways an updated version of that great 90s coming-of-age
A young immigrant lives
The teens entertain topics from the
precariously in an abandoned trailer,
mundane to the existential, and the
unbeknownst to his peers and even
looming question of life after high
his girlfriend.
school.
The effect of the collaboration between director and actor is an uncanny, heightened realism that encompasses the anxieties of an entire generation.
Authentically unique.
EAST ORLANDO POST
classic Dazed and Confused.
THE BAY AREA REPORTER
5
Captures some important cross-currents in the national zeitgeist... Impressive. TRIAD CITY BEAT
While aficionados of documentary will
Introducing eight young actors, playing
find many parallels in Brown’s film with
stylized versions of
Frederick Wiseman’s
classic
High
So honest and natural that it's
School of 1968, our contemporary
difficult to guess where life
auteur eschews pure adhesion to
ends and filmmaking begins.
Wiseman’s direct cinema style–that of the neutral fly-on-the-wall observer–in
COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID
themselves, The Other Kids is unlike any other film you have seen.
We are immensely proud that it is our first Flix Premiere Original.
favor of the exploration of fiction as a Watch, and see why it is scoring such
vehicle for truth. In the vein of Edgar Morin and Jean Rouche,
in
Cinéma-Vérité
their experiment
high marks.
famous of
a
A caring humanist film in the
Chronicle of a Summer in Paris,
best sense, an homage to the
The Other Kids surpasses the mere
A quiet, sometimes haunting look
millions of teenagers who are
documentation of life and arrives
at teens on the cusp of adulthood.
not student body presidents or cheerleaders.
Gerald Pear, THE ARTS FUSE
closer to an ecstatic truth that touches the heart of the human experience by virtue of its carefully constructed stories.
Beautiful, elegant...profound.
HOLLYWOOD IN TOTO
6
DIRECTOR’S CORNER Some days, I would put the camera away and we’d just sit back and talk, go for a walk, get a sandwich, laugh, cry. I’m protective of the actors I work with in all of my films. In making The Other Kids I was even more protective because I was working with a cast of real teenagers. Above all, I didn’t want to do anything that would harm them in any way, either while we were working, or later after the film was done. I think that this is why I gave the kids final cut over all of their material. If there was anything they didn’t feel comfortable with, I didn’t use it. One of the actors, Hunter, described me as being “motherly,” which made me laugh, but also really touched me. I took that as a great compliment.
My hope was that they could use the film as a vehicle Hear directly from acclaimed filmmaker Chris Brown, the Director of our Inaugural Original - The Other Kids.
for exploring aspects of their own lives.
Q. Why did you make this movie?
Q: Looking over The Other Kids festival run, critical reviews, and
C.B: I made The Other Kids because I think it’s important that we tell
general commentary on the film, there must have been many
our stories. When we tell our stories, we empower ourselves, and in turn we empower everyone around us. When we have the courage to tell our own stories – no matter how scary or embarrassing we think they are – we realize that other people have had the same experiences, that other people have felt the same way we feel. This is why I make films, and this is why I made The Other Kids.
When we tell our stories, we empower ourselves, and in turn we empower everyone around us.
Q: How difficult was it for these teenagers to share their own stories or personal experiences?
C.B: I always remind audiences that it’s not a documentary. The kids were encouraged to use as much or as little “material” from their own lives as they felt comfortable using. My hope was that they could use the film as a vehicle for exploring aspects of their own lives. There’s so much that we all deal with in our personal lives, so much we keep hidden out of the fear or shame instilled in us from birth and nurtured by family and culture. The moment we begin to openly acknowledge these thoughts, feelings and behaviors is the moment we realize that so many other people think, feel, and behave the same way. But exploring and exposing these truths can be painful. There were many difficult days on the shoot – scenes and moments that dredged up real pain for the actors.
suitors initially trying to partner with you. How did the Flix Premiere relationship come to life? What made you most excited about their approach with your movie?
C.B: The question of distribution isn’t one I take lightly. Since the film had its festival premiere, we’ve had many offers from distributors large and small, from companies with whom I’ve worked, and others I hadn’t. And most of the offers were standard and fine. But The Other Kids is a unique film and honestly I didn’t want it to be lumped in with piles of miscellaneous genre “product.” I’ve been down this road before. You sign a deal, send the company your film and never hear from them again. The folks at Flix Premiere were completely different. They didn’t respond to the film like businessmen, they responded to it like film lovers. They really loved the film and were able to articulate what they felt was special about it. Flix Premiere is totally dedicated to the art of independent film. Period. It’s a curated space, assembled lovingly by people who are excited about cutting-edge work. I should add that they have also been wonderful collaborators throughout the process, and have been extremely responsive to all of my suggestions small and large. Like many directors, I’m a bit of a control freak, so their openness and respect has been something that has really mattered. It’s been a true collaboration. We’re extremely excited about our partnership with Flix Premiere. This isn’t just another streaming service. These guys really care about independent film. Their model is something truly unique, something new. And being the first Flix Premiere Original production is a real honor.
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