Magenta Light Studios, the upstart production and distribution label founded by Bob Yari, has launched a specialized division called Magenta Edge Films.
Aimed at bold, independent storytelling for platform and theatrical release, the company announced Friday that Magenta Edge will be home to original stories first and foremost.
“Magenta Edge Films allows us to deepen our commitment to unique, independent voices while expanding the ways we bring those stories to audiences,” Yari said.
The outfit has already scored its first win on Fantastic Fest breakout “Appofeniacs.” The film focuses on what happens when AI-generated deepfakes spread across a group of interconnected lives, blurring reality and causing violent consequences.
“I didn’t want this movie to focus on deepfakes as a technology,” writer and director Chris Mars Piliello previously told Variety. “I didn’t want this to be ‘AI is coming to get you’ or supercomputers or anything like that. It’s about the human element and the fallout. I’m using deepfakes to show how easily our lives can unravel and spiral. Of course we have fun with that in the movie and taking it to a higher level, but I wanted to use a kind of innocuous, trivial, down-to-earth, realistic scenario.”
“I saw terrible changes coming to our society and felt compelled to make a film about it,” Piliello added. “I dipped into my savings, assembled an amazing team, and brought my passion project to life. Next thing I know, I’m getting more audience response than I ever expected at a festival. It’s been a truly amazing, life-changing experience so far, and I’m thrilled to partner with Magenta Edge to support independent filmmaking by releasing Apopheniax in theaters and digitally.”
Bill Burgos, industry executive and head of digital film distribution for the studio, will lead a new division developed to support select theatrical and digital releases, prioritizing audience engagement, discovering new talent and meaningful partnerships with filmmakers. This division acquires features, documentaries, and festival titles in a variety of genres.
“Independent filmmaking has always been about more than just making a movie. It’s about creativity, courage and community,” Vergos said. “Magenta Edge Films is a true home for filmmakers, a place where new voices and passionate creators can grow while connecting with audiences in meaningful ways.”
“Appofeniacs” stars Aaron Holiday, Jermaine Fowler, Will Brandt, Paige Searcy, Simran Jehani, Harley Bronwyn, Michael Abbott Jr., and Sean Gunn. It is scheduled to be released in theaters later this year.
“’Appofeniacs’ embodies the creative ambitions behind Magenta Edge Films,” said Vergos. “Bold, original and made for an audience looking for discovery. Launching the label with a film like this clearly demonstrates the type of storytelling and filmmaker partnerships we believe in.”
Most recently, Magenta Light Studios released Simon West’s Bride Hard, starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and J.T. Molnar’s thriller Strange Darlings. Magenta Light Studios will release Adrian Grunberg’s The Protector in theaters on March 6th and Renny Harlin’s Deep Water on May 1st.
