Indie movie gets distribution deal, helps budding filmmaker

Oak Park native Marc Clebanoff recently earned a distribution deal for his first fulllength movie, “Unspoken,” which features actor William Sadler from “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Kinsey.”

“‘Unspoken’ received close to 10 distribution offers, but I decided to go with Echelon Entertainment ultimately,” Clebanoff said. “I signed the contract deal with them late in October.”

Clebanoff ’s movie, which was shot for just under $100,000, is a dark drama about five characters locked in a room who prepare for their untimely end by revealing the darker side of their relationships.

The movie will be available on DVD in all major stores and rental outlets, as well as through Netflix and Amazon. “Unspoken” will be available overseas and on domestic cable stations later next year.

“Our hope is that the DVD will be available for rental/purchase by February or March of 2006,” Clebanoff said.

Clebanoff initially solicited “Unspoken” to about 75 distributors, ranging from the bigger houses like Miramax and Lions Gate to the smaller independent distributors. Of those, about 30 expressed their interest in the movie and of those interested— or at least the ones who reviewed it in a timely fashion—eight came back with a contract offer.

“I chose to place ‘Unspoken’ with Echelon Entertainment based on numerous factors,” Clebanoff said. “First and foremost, they were one of the few companies willing to take a crack at foreign sales in addition to home video/DVD sales. Most companies strayed away from a commitment to sell ‘Unspoken’ overseas because it’s such a dialogue driven film.

“Echelon realizes that despite a limited foreign market for the film, foreign sales still represents the largest profit potential for an independent film,” Clebanoff said.

“Given the low negative cost of ‘Unspoken,’ only several of the largest territories need to purchase the film in order for us to turn a profit.”

“Unspoken” is similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope,” Richard Linklater ’s “Tape” and Sidney Lumet’s “12 Angry Men,” according to the filmmaker.

Clebanoff, a USC film school graduate, made the movie with the help of several film collaborators.

Clebanoff’s movie isn’t typical “Hollywood,” he said, but it touches on several pertinent issues. At a premier screening last March, audiences responded to the movie favorably and Clebanoff knew then that he had a worthwhile picture, he said.

“My hopes for ‘Unspoken’ are high, but rea l i s t i c , ” Clebanoff said“It’s not a mainstream film, so I don’t expect ito do ‘Napoleon D y n a m i t e ’ sales. But then again, I did not intend it to be (a ‘Napoleon Dynamite’).”

Clebanoff said he’s marketing his movie the way he shot it—guerilla style. Much of his publicity is word of mouth, through e-mail and with some help from local publications.

“There has also been a sur

p r i s i n buzz abou‘ U n s p o k e n t h r o u g s o u r c e like BiS a d l e r ’fan site,Clebanoff said. “I was surprised to come across a blog online where Sadler fans asked each other where they could see ‘Unspoken.’”

Currently, Clebanoff is launching a privately financed three-picture deal. His next project is a dark dramatic comedy called “The Crab Theory,” which was written and will be directed by Brian Scott Miller. Clebanoff is producing the film.

“‘The Crab Theory’ is much more mainstream than ‘Unspoken’ and has a very impressive array of ‘A’ list acting and musical talent,” Clebanoff said. “In addition, I have two more projects prepping, one of which I will be directing myself and the second, which I am taking more of a backseat role, based on the involvement of an extremely well-known filmmaker. I know some of the details, particularly of my upcoming projects, are sort of vague, but I hope to be able to expand on those details shortly.”

For more information about Clebanoff and his work, go to www.odysseymotionpictures.com.