• Cane Fire

CANE FIRE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 11, 2022

CINEMA GUILD ACQUIRES AWARD-WINNING HAWAIʻI DOC CANE FIRE


NEW YORK, NY (Feb 7, 2022) – Cinema Guild announced today the acquisition of U.S. distribution rights for Cane Fire, directed by Anthony Banua-Simon and co-produced/co-written by Mike Vass. The film premiered at Hot Docs before making its U.S. premiere at the Indie Memphis Film Festival, where it won Best Documentary Feature. It went on to a robust festival run, which included a New York premiere at MoMA’s Doc Fortnight. Cinema Guild will release the film in theaters across the U.S., beginning with the New York theatrical premiere at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) on May 20.

Cane Fire examines the past and present of the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, interweaving four generations of family history, numerous Hollywood productions, and troves of found footage to create a kaleidoscopic portrait of the economic and cultural forces that have cast Indigenous and working-class residents as “extras” in their own story.

"We’re so excited to be helping Cane Fire find a wider audience," said Cinema Guild President Peter Kelly. “Anthony Banua-Simon is an incredibly talented filmmaker who brings a personal angle to an aspect of the visualization of Hawaiʻi that is not dealt with nearly enough." "Cinema Guild has showcased some of my favorite films in recent memory," said Banua-Simon, "so it’s an enormous honor to be included in their collection."

The deal also includes two of Banua-Simon's two short films Third Shift and Pure Flix and Chill: The David A.R. White Story, which Cinema Guild will release on the educational market. The deal was negotiated by Peter Kelly of Cinema Guild with attorney Steve Holmgren negotiating on behalf of the filmmakers.

Cinema Guild is a premier distributor of world cinema, independent films and documentaries, whose upcoming releases include Fern Silva’s Rock Bottom Riser, Payal Kapadia’s A Night of Knowing Nothing and Ramon and Silvan Zürcher’s The Girl and the Spider. Recent releases include Ernst Karel and Veronika Kusumaryati’s Expedition Content, Hong Sangsoo’s Introduction, and Joshua Bonnetta’s The Two Sights.

For press inquiries, please contact us at:

(212) 685-6242 or press at cinemaguild dot com

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