TWO TELEGRAMS

TWO TELEGRAMS

JAZ FILMS ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO LEGENDARY WRITER/DIRECTOR AND LIFETIME ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI'S LAST SCREENPLAY TWO TELEGRAMS

Los Angeles, CA – May 18, 2009 – Coming into the second week of the Cannes Film Festival, Jaz Films has acquired the last screenplay written by celebrated Lifetime Achievement Academy Award® Winner, and two-time Academy Award® nominated Italian visionary Michelangelo Antonioni(L’Avventura, La Notte, BlowUp). The script titled Two Telegrams was the last script he penned just before he passed away in 2007. Jaz Films Partners, Zev Guber and Jeremy Wall acquired the project from the estate of Michelangelo Antonioni.Two Telegrams is co-written with screenplay veteran, Rudy Wurlitzer (Little Buddha, Voyager and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid).

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Two Telegrams, inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni’s short story of the same name is a tale which unravels to reveal the unresolved attachments that end in violence and further suffering. Yet, the great irony is that when all has been stripped away there arises the opportunity for hope and genuine connection.

"To have foreseen, some 30 years in advance, the excessive sexuality and financial meltdown that so define our age," said producer and Partner at Jaz Films, Zev Guber, “is what has made Michelangelo Antonioni a unique and truly visionary filmmaker.” “The maestro’s magic seems to transcend time,” said producer and Partner at Jaz Films, Jeremy Wall, “for we’ve already had tremendous interest from some of Hollywood’s A-list directors and talent to be involved in the project.”

"It was a special honor to work with Antonioni, who I have been so influenced by and felt such respected for over the years," said writer Rudy Wurlitzer. "I'm happy to be a part of bringing his final script to life and to continue the great legacy that is Michelangelo Antonioni."

Jaz Films has already fully financed the feature and is currently attaching a director and casting.

The internationally celebrated Italian filmmaker, Michelangelo Antonioni, began his career as a writer and short form filmmaker in the 1940’s. His first full-length feature Cronacadi un amore in 1950 set in motion a series of socio-politically-charged projects that would lead to L’Avventura (1960) which was showcased, with mixed reviews, at Cannes Film Festival; yet, went on to become an international success. Antonioni’s first English language project, Blowup (1966), which earned him Academy Award® nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay, was followed by two additional English language projects, the highly controversial Zabriskie Point (1970) and critically acclaimed The Passenger (1975), starring Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider. Though suffering a stroke shortly after, Michelangelo Antonioni continued to make award-winning material including Venice Film Festival’s FIPRESCI Prize for Cyclo. His accomplishments ultimately earned him the Lifetime Achievement Academy Awardin 1996 presented by Jack Nicholson.

Jaz Films is a feature film production and development company responsible for director-led projects including Daniel Myrick’s The Objective and Ruyhei Kitamura’s Blackbird and Versus. Partners Zev Guber and Jeremy Wall both have an extensive background in major motion picture production with over 30 years of collective experience. Jaz Films will produce 2 – 3 low-budget projects per year, aimed at global audiences seeking meaningful cinematic experiences.