Leading Swiss independent distributor Ascot Elite Entertainment has announced eight new acquisitions for its release lineup.
As part of a strategy to consolidate its market position, theZurich-based company has secured all rights for Focus Features' HarveyMilk biopic Milk, directed by Gus van Sant and starring Sean Penn andJosh Brolin, the Sam Mendes Untitled Project, and Hamlet 2 with UKcomedian Steve Coogan.
In addition, Ascot Elite has picked up three titles from SummitEntertainment: John Woo's much discussed Red Cliff, starring TonyLeung, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhang Fengyi; Terrence Malick's The TreeOf Life, with Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain; and CatherineHardwicke's teenage horror-romance Twilight, with Kristen Stewart,Robert Pattinson, and Billy Burke.
Moreover, rights have been secured from The Weinstein Company forMikael Hafstroem's epic espionage thriller Shanghai, and Ascot haspre-bought Lakeshore Entertainment's musical remake Fame.