For Immediate Release:
January 15, 2013
River Phoenix’s Dark Blood Makes North American Premiere
at Miami International Film Festival
2013 Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Miami International Film Festival, Produced and presented by
Miami Dade College
Miami, FL — Organizers of the 30th edition of Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), produced and presented by Miami Dade College, announced today the North American premiere of River Phoenix’s final film, Dark Blood, directed by George Sluizer, co-starring Jonathan Pryce and Judy Davis. Twenty years after its making, the film will be shown for the first time in North America at the 30th Anniversary edition of the Miami International Film Festival (March 1-10, 2013).
Dark Blood was 80% complete when River Phoenix passed away in 1993 and the uncompleted film disappeared into a vault. In 1999 Sluizer heard that the footage was going to be burned to make space and with less than 48 hours notice, he saved the film, engineering efforts to get the entire film moved to The Netherlands. The footage then sat for more than ten years until last year when Sluizer set about finishing the film. The film finally premiered overseas to a standing ovation in the fall of 2012 at the Dutch Film Festival.
“Dark Blood is a film of legend, one of Hollywood’s great mysteries,” said MIFF Executive Director Jaie Laplante. “The tragic loss of River Phoenix’s outstanding talent is still profoundly felt 20 years later. We are proud that George Sluizer has honored Miami as the place to finally share his remarkable collaboration with Phoenix and the other great artists involved with Dark Blood.”
Jet-set Hollywood couple Harry (Jonathan Pryce) and Buffy (Judy Davis) travel through the desert on a second honeymoon, trying to save their marriage. Their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere leaving them to find shelter in Boy’s (River Phoenix) beaten down shack, unaware they will become his prisoners. Boy’s wife died of leukemia after nuclear tests occurred in the desert leaving him alone and far away from society. Buffy is seduced by Boy’s honesty and vulnerabilities, while Harry represents everything Boy hates about the civilized world and its culture. Buffy decides to sleep with Boy to buy the couple’s freedom, but these circumstances will push Harry to the edge, leading to a terrible tragedy.
The complete line-up of the 30th Miami International Film Festival will be announced in late January. Dark Blood joins previously announced titles for the Festival including the US premieres of Fernando Trueba’s The Artist and the Model and Carlos Lechuga’s Molasses.
Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), celebrating its 30th anniversary March 1 – 10, 2013, is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival, produced and presented by Miami Dade College, attracts more than 70,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. MIFF’s special focus on Ibero-American cinema has made the Festival a natural gateway for the discovery of new talent from this diverse territory. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. Major sponsors of the 2013 Festival include Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade County and Lexus. For more, visit miff2020.wpengine.com or call 305-237-MIFF (3456).
Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings including The Miami Book Fair International, the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, the Cultura del Lobo performance series, The MDC Tower Theater Cinema Series, nine visual arts galleries including The Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College and the School of Entertainment and Design Technology, in addition to the renowned Miami International Film Festival. MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is nationally recognized for many of its academic and cultural programs. With an enrollment of more than 174,000 students, MDC is the nation’s top producer of degrees. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer nearly 300 distinct degree programs including several baccalaureate degrees. For more, visit www.mdc.edu.
MIFF Contacts:
Jessica Wade Pfeffer, Jessica Wade Inc., +1 305-804-8424, jessica@jessicawadeinc.com
Janice Roland, Falco Ink, +1 212-445-7100, janiceroland@falcoink.com
Shannon Treusch, Falco Ink, +1 212-445-7100, shannontreusch@falcoink.com
MDC Contacts:
Juan Mendieta, +1 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu
Sue Arrowsmith +1 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu
Alejandro Rios +1 305-237-7482, arios1@mdc.edu
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