Studio City, CA - (May 16 2017)– After a successful run at film festivals around the world, the hysterically funny mystery/comedy The Hippopotamus, will debut in U.S. theaters starting on June 15, 2017 from Lightyear Entertainment. The film is based on Stephen Fry’s novel of the same name, which has sold millions of copies, and is published in the U.S. by Soho Press. The film will be presented in theaters with a Q&A featuring the stars of the film, the filmmakers and celebrated author/actor Stephen Fry.
Fry, considered a British “national treasure,” has written four best-selling novels, several non-fiction works and three volumes of autobiography. His work as an actor in movies, television, theater, radio and audiobooks spans three decades and includes memorable roles in A Fish Called Wanda, two of Peter Jackson’s adaptations of The Hobbit and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. He is currently featured on the CBS series The Great Indoors.
The Hippopotamus is the story of a poet who is summoned to his friend’s country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles. Three-time Olivier Award winner Roger Allam (Endeavor, The Queen, V for Vendetta) stars as the disgruntled, cantankerous, semi-famous poet Ted Wallace who is hired to investigate strange doings at Lord and Lady Logan’s country manor, Swafford Hall. Golden Globe Winner Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, Dark Knight Rises, Full Metal Jacket) plays the stupendously rich and gregarious Lord Michael Logan. Fiona Shaw (five Harry Potter movies) co-stars as the doting mother Lady Logan. Tim McInnerny (Notting Hill, Game of Thrones) plays the flamboyant and gullible theater director Oliver Mills. The film is directed by John Jencks and produced by Jay Taylor and Alexa Seligman. This is the first Stephen Fry novel to be adapted as a feature film.
A screening of the film in Wales, UK, at the Hay festival, will feature a special Q&A session featuring author Stephen Fry, along with Allam, Jencks, and other members of the cast and crew. The session will be captured live, and presented along with the film at cinemas throughout the UK. Lightyear will be doing the same in the U.S. and Canada, presenting the film together with the Q&A session at selected theaters here as a Cinema Event.
“Usually Q&A’s are limited to film festivals and initial releases in New York and LA,” said Lightyear CEO Arnie Holland, “but including the Q&A with the film allows audience everywhere to experience it. Having Stephen Fry in the Q&A, as well as the filmmakers and cast, makes it special. By making it a Cinema Event, theaters who are otherwise already booked can make room for a one-night event screening. Of course, theaters that want to book the film for an entire week or more anyway will be able to do that.”
The film will be co-marketed with Soho Press, the publisher of four of Stephen Fry’s books, including The Hippopotamus. As part of the joint promotion, theaters that book the film will be given several copies of the book for giveaways to customers, and bookstores that help promote local screenings will be given free tickets for giveaways to their customers.
http://www.thehippopotamusmovie.com
Lightyear Entertainment, a distributor of independent films and music, was founded in 1987. www.lightyear.com
