Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, has acquired the North American rights to Danny Wu’s documentary on Orson Welles and U.S. politics, American: An Odyssey to 1947.
Written, directed and produced by Wu, the documentary is a collection of stories leading to the year 1947, centering on Welles’ political evolution. Gravitas plans to release the film on video-on-demand on September 12, 2023.
“Gravitas is excited for North American audiences to experience American: An Odyssey to 1947 this September,” said Bill Guentzler, vice president of Acquisitions at Gravitas Ventures “Filmmaker Danny Wu seamlessly interweaves fascinating stories, including the rise of Orson Welles, from varied backgrounds to help us understand what it meant to be an American almost 100 years ago.”
Guentzler negotiated the deal with Maple Road Pictures, according to Wu.
American: An Odyssey to 1947 embarks on a compelling journey through the transformative era of the early 1930s and ’40s in American history. The film follows the rise and fall of Welles, while interweaving stories of diverse individuals amidst the backdrop of the Great Depression, World War II,
and the dropping of the Atomic Bomb.
The film has had a successful festival tour, including an international premiere at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, It’s All True International Documentary Festival in Brazil, Austin Film Festival, and most recently at the Melbourne Documentary Festival.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have partnered with Gravitas for the release of our film. American: An Odyssey to 1947 is a reimagined historical documentary, focusing not only on Orson Welles but also shedding light on the untold stories of that era,” Wu said. “Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of traveling the globe on the festival circuit, witnessing diverse audiences form deep connections with our film in their own unique ways. It’s been an incredible experience, and we can’t wait to bring that same feeling into people’s homes.”
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