American Film Market Dailies

13 Films’ action thriller Extortion has been acquired by the Grindstone Entertainment Group for all North America and will be distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Written and directed by Phil Volken, the film stars Academy Award nominee Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Eion Baily (Band Of Brothers and hit TV shows “Once Upon A Time,” “Ray Donovan”), Bethany Joy Lenz (TV’s “One Tree Hill,” “Dexter”) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon series, 2012).

Tannaz Anisi’s 13 Films is handling worldwide rights to the film and will be continuing sales at the American Film Market. Anisi negotiated the domestic deal with Stan Wertlieb of Grindstone Entertainment Group.

"Phil Volken successfully directs a super intense thriller”, said Wertlieb. “Anyone who enjoyed Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips is sure to love his gritty and masterful performance in Extortion."

“We have championed this film from script to completion and are delighted to announce its US distribution, and thrilled to be working with the team at Grindstone and Lionsgate Home Entertainment,” commented Anisi.

Extortion opens with a boat joyride that leaves a doctor, his wife and their 5 year old son stranded on an abandoned island during their vacation in the Bahamas. Isolated and alone without any food or water for days, they are discovered by two local fishermen who agree to help them, but demand one million dollars in return for saving their lives. When rescue plans go awry, the doctor finds himself in a desperate race against the clock to track down the kidnappers and rescue his family.

13 Films recently completed international sales with FIP (First International Production) for France, Eagle Pictures for Italy, Ster-Kinekor for South Africa, Kinoswiat for Poland, Eagle Films for the Middle East, TV Globo for Brazil, Bulgaria Film Vision for Bulgaria, Foxx New Media for Czech Republic, Star Media for Ex-Yugo, and Fox TV for Pan Asia Pay TV.

Sales have been completed with Ascot Elite Entertainment for Germany, Signature Entertainment for the UK and Interfilm Co. for Japan, Corbi Media for Spain, Tanweer for Greece, Indonesia and Turkey, Nos Lusomundo for Portugal, DDDream for China, Sookie Pictures for South Korea and Ocotarts for the Philippines.

About 13 Films

13 Films is an international distribution and finance company based in Los Angeles founded by Tannaz Anisi.

13 Films’ slate includes their own production of crime thriller Jane Millen starring Olga Kurylenko, family action adventure film Four Kids And It starring Michael Caine, Bill Nighy, Paula Patton and Matthew Goode, political thriller Public Affairs starring Thora Birch, Adrien Grenier and Mimi Rogers, and The Forgiven starring Forest Whitaker (Last King Of Scotland) and Eric Bana (Star Trek, Lone Survivor) to be directed by two time Oscar nominee writer/director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields, The Scarlet Letter) which is set to begin production November 2016.

The company is also selling the supernatural thriller / drama Voice From The Stone starring Emilia Clarke (HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Terminator Genisys, Me Before You) and Marton Csokas (The Equalizer) in post-production, the comedy Chronically Metropolitan starring Chris Noth, Mary-Louise Parker, Shiloh Fernandez (We Are Your Friends) and Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”), and Worlds Apart starring J.K. Simmons.

13 Films is also handling foreign sales to Entry Level starring Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales; The Giver), produced by Final Destination and American Pie producers Craig Perry and Sheila Taylor and to be directed by Franck Khalfoun (upcoming Amityville: The Awakening).