Amazon partners with A24 on Val Kilmer doc shot over 40 years
Amazon Studios has acquired US and Latin American rights to the documentary Val. From directors Leo Scott and Ting Poo, this is the first feature in the slate of documentaries and doc-series being produced by A24, whose nonfiction arm is led by Ben Cotner. Producers include Boardwalk Pictures’ Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, TwainMania’s Val Kilmer, Ali Alborzi and Brad Koepenick, Leo Scott of Cartel Films, and Ting Poo.
For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood’s most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.
Amazon Studios will release the documentary later this year in the US and Latin America. A24 controls all remaining worldwide rights.
Val Kilmer said: “At least once a day for years I looked around and got this bittersweet feeling that there are a thousand reasons that this project could’ve been shipwrecked. I mean, what could a film look like of a man filming himself, sometimes daily, years at a time? It is unimaginable that this movie actually could’ve ever come to light without the partnership of my dear friends, Leo and Ting, and my producing partners. Tireless hours of editing and endless emotions with each new cut! I couldn’t be more proud to share this with the world!”
“Filmmakers Leo Scott and Ting Poo have a unique, cutting-edge style and artistry, weaving together never-before-seen footage into a beautiful, raw story about this renowned and celebrated actor, artist and man,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re excited to work with Val and the A24 team on their first produced documentary feature and to share this unprecedented film with audiences.”
Photo: Lev Radin/Shutterstock
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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