…..Among the other leading contenders for the Competition are Atom Egoyan’s thriller “Felicia’s Journey,” based on a William Trevor novel; Alan Parker’s adaptation of Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes” with Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle; Anthony Minghella’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Cate Blanchett; Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” with Ben Affleck; Aleksandr Sokhurov’s “Moloch,” about Hitler and Eva Braun; Patricia Rozema’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Mansfield Park,” featuring Embeth Davidtz; and Jim Jarmusch’s “Ghost Dog” with Isaach de Bankole, Forest Whitaker, Damon Whitaker and Paul Diomede….

Synapse Films, in association with View Askew Productions, is proud to announce the upcoming Home Video release of View Askew’s feature film, A BETTER PLACE.

Written, Produced and Directed by Vincent Pereira, A BETTER PLACE is the story of a teenager who moves to a new town after the death of his father and finds out a his new friend is hiding a violent past. A BETTER PLACE stars Eion Bailey (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER TV Series, DAWSON’S CREEK and David Fincher’s THE FIGHT CLUB) and Carmen LeWallen (CHASING AMY, THE MOD SQUAD).

Executive Produced by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier (GOOD WILL HUNTING, MALLRATS, CHASING AMY), this is the first time a View Askew production has been picked up by an independent video company and not a major studio. “I met Kevin Smith in Philadelphia over a year ago and he mentioned the title to me, ” says Synapse Films President, Don May, Jr. “After seeing the film, I just had to have it. Having been associated with science fiction and horror films in the past, it isn’t the sort of thing people would expect from me but it is a great film. I’ve always been a fan of independent filmsand it’s the perfect addition to my current and upcoming slate of ‘indie’ films. I’m glad View Askew has given me the opportunity to do this film the right way.”

Synapse Films has licensed all home video rights for the feature and is currently restoring the film with director Pereira. “I’d been a fan of Don’s work restoring classic horror and cult films on Laserdisc and DVD and when Don expressed interest in the film, it was like a dream come true,” says Pereira. “With Don I know I’ll be able to release A BETTER PLACE the way I want, supervising the digital letterboxed transfer and restoring two scenes cut from the festival-circuit version of the film. The ‘Special Edition’ DVD and LaserDisc release will also have a running commentary, a selection of deleted scenes, and an introduction by Kevin (Smith) and Scott (Mosier).”

A BETTER PLACE is currently scheduled for a Fall 1999 release and Synapse Films is currently seeking an exclusive licensing arrangement for the videocassette release.

“It was big news when the team of writer Kevin Smith and artists Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti announced they’d be working together on Marvel’s Daredevil. Now the first trade paperback of the project, reprinting #1-3, is available. The title seems to be simply Daredevil (Jan 99, ISBN 0-9851-0715-0, $9.95), which is going to spaz out indexers. eventually. And Smith has certainly combined dynamite plot elements with wild possibilities. Unlike many trade paperbacks, this one doesn’t contain a complete story arc. The episodes are “…And a Child Shall Lead Them,” “The Unexamined Life,” and “Dystopia,” from which readers might suspect a religious tale. Readers would be right.

The tapestry Smith weaves is complex and thought-provoking: How should people react, in the face of a Second Coming? Could you judge the difference between God and a lying Devil? And, in terms of the fate of comic-book characters, what are the consequences of some of their past actions for Karen Page and Matt Murdock? Smith’s addressing many aspects of characters in the existing mythos of Daredevil – and it may be that none will escape unscathed. What’s important is how well the story is being told, and the team keeps the reader turning the pages.

The richness of the references even extends to elaborate backgrounds featuring the art of Gustave Dore, whose scenery…works great in the published form. This is clearly a labor of love – expressed in the midst of cynicism. But what will happen next?”