PRESS REALESE

Gravitas Ventures Acquires North American Rights To 'Penitentia'

The film Penitentia poses the question "What's the true cost of doing nothing?"

PENITENTIA, a crime drama/thriller, will be released on June 18, 2024

After discovering Penitentia at the Tallgrass Film Festival last October, Gravitas is excited to bring this tense and thrilling drama to audiences throughout North America.”
— Bill Guentzler
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, May 2, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, has acquired North American rights to the crime drama/thriller PENITENTIA, written and directed by Chris Lawing. The film stars Glenn Stanton, Rusty Schwimmer, Chris Bylsma, Kate Flanagan, Nigel Vonas and Natasha Coppola-Shalom. Penitentia will be released on June 18, 2024.

In Penitentia, a prestigious job lulls Ale Villacano into the good life, until a pro bono case reawakens his instincts for justice. Caught between his criminal past and his promising future, Ale must decide what kind of lawyer he is really meant to be.

"Authenticity is the driving force of my stories. The characters are not larger than life, they are cut from the cloth of the fabric of the world around them,” said writer/director Chris Lawing. “Penitentia is a timely story about a young man impacted by injustice and given the choice to dedicate himself to fight for the rights of others or protect the good life he has built for himself.”

Penitentia screened at and won the Audience Award for Kansas Film at the Tallgrass Film Festival. It will play at the LightReel Film Fest in early June and was screened at the North Hollywood Cinefest and the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.

“After discovering Penitentia at the Tallgrass Film Festival last October, Gravitas is excited to bring this tense and thrilling drama to audiences throughout North America. Director Chris Lawing brings out astounding performances from his cast and elevates the concept of courtroom drama,” stated Bill Guentzler, Senior Vice President Acquisitions & Operations at Gravitas.

Guentzler negotiated the deal directly with the filmmakers, who were supported by Tyler Emerson of Conlee Schmidt & Emerson LLP.

For more information on the film, please visit https://www.penitentia.com.

About Penitentia
In Penitentia, a prestigious job lulls Ale Villacano into the good life, until a pro bono case reawakens his instincts for justice. Caught between his criminal past and his promising future, Ale must decide what kind of lawyer he is really meant to be. For more information, please visit www.penitentia.com and follow Penitentia on Instagram @penitentia_film and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/penitentiafilm.

About Gravitas Ventures
Gravitas Ventures is a leading all rights distributor of Independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America - over one billion homes worldwide. Recent Gravitas Venture releases include Deep Fear, Slotherhouse, Padre Pio, Gringa, The Pez Outlaw, Downwind, Mack & Rita, The King’s Daughter, Queen Bees, Our Friend, Vanguard, The Secret: Dare to Dream. For more information, please visit www.gravitasventures.com, and follow @GravitasVOD on X and @gravitasventures on Instagram.

About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Toronto, Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Cleveland. Anthem's portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world's premier combat sports channel with broadcast distribution across 10+ countries and available globally through multiple OTT platforms; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world's leading wrestling organizations; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in sports wagering, Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S. For more information, visit www.anthemse.com.

Angie Lawing
Mercury Films
+1 415-505-3570
angie.lawing@mercury-films.com