O-SCOPE HOPS THE TURNSTILE, WILL STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS IN 2014
By Oscilloscope
(New York, NY) August 6, 2013—Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired all North American rights to Sam Fleischner’s gripping, award-winning drama STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS, the story of a lost boy shot on location in the New York City subways. After premiering to great acclaim at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival (where it won the Special Jury Prize in the Narrative Feature Section), the film had its international premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and will next be seen in Sundance’s inaugural NEXT WEEKEND festival, which takes place August 8-11 in Los Angeles. Oscilloscope will release the film in 2014.
Directed by Fleischner from a script by Rose Lichter-Mark and Micah Bloomberg, STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS tells the story of Ricky, a 13-year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who gets lost one day in the New York City subway system. While his mother frantically searches for him above ground, the sensory-sensitive Ricky is exposed to the cacophony, eccentricity, and menace found in New York’s underground (including some scenes shot during Hurricane Sandy, which came to figure into the film’s story), resulting in a truly authentic view into both the wonders and the horrors of what lies below.
The movie was hailed by critics upon its premiere, including Stephen Holden of the New York Times, who wrote that it was “as intense and indelible an immersion in the real New York as I have seen in a long time” and that it is “completely, exhilaratingly alive.”
About the acquisition, O-scope’s Dan Berger and David Laub said, “We knew this film was an ideal fit for us the moment we saw it. Not only does it showcase the work of an exciting young filmmaker and tell a compelling, original story, but it is also a quintessential New York film, capturing the mood and feel of the city in a way few films do any more. We’re thrilled to have it join our roster.”
Filmmaker Sam Fleischner said, “From the beginning, I was hoping that Oscilloscope would become the home for Stand Clear of The Closing Doors. Their enthusiastic response feels auspicious and I’m really happy to have my film with a distributor that celebrates fresh cinema.”
The film was produced by production companies M ss ng P eces and SeeThink Films, and producers Andrew Neel, Veronica Nickel, Dave Saltzman and Craig Shilowich.