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.

“Miramax Special Editions: One of the more exciting bits of news I received officially from Miramax at the conference was regarding their long-rumored DVD special editions. Miramax (including their subsidiary Dimension Films) will be seriously committing to these releases, and are taking charge of features, title selection, etc., themselves, and using Buena Vista for the distribution end only. The first two titles will be Good Will Hunting and Scream, which will be 16×9 (yes!) and carry a (bound to be controversial) MSRP of $39.95. I have added a new sections for Miramax to the Release Index and the Request Infoline (I have carried over the votes from the Buena Vista section, so no need to revote).”