Bobby Fischer Against The World

A new film about the American chess genius entitled "Bobby Fischer Against The World" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival recently and is now due for a wider release after Music Box Films announced that they have bought the theatrical distribution rights.

The HBO backed film will premiere on HBO before a wider theatrical release in the US.  It will also be released in Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Berlin Film Festival—February 15, 2011—Music Box Films announced today that it has acquired all US Theatrical, DVD, and Digital Rights to Liz Garbus’ film Bobby Fischer Against the World which recently screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in the prestigious Documentary Premieres Section.

The deal was negotiated by David Koh & Stanley Buchthal of LM Media GmbH on behalf of the Director and Producers along with Ed Arentz & Bill Schopf of Music Box Films. HBO Documentary Films plans an Academy Qualification followed by a TV broadcast on HBO. A coordinated Theatrical, DVD and Digital Release by Music Box Films will follow.

Bobby Fischer Against the World is a co-production of HBO Documentary Film and LM Media GmbH and was Produced & Directed by Liz Garbus. Produced by Stanley Buchthal, Rory Kennedy, Matthew Justus. Executive Produced for HBO by Sheila Nevins. Executive Produced by Dan Cogan, Nick Fraser, Maja Hoffmann, Martin Pieper. Senior Producer for HBO Nancy Abraham. Co-Produced by Christoph Jorg & David Koh. Cinematography by Bob Chappell. Edited by Karen Schmeer and Michael Levine. Music Composed by Philip Sheppard.

Considered by many to be the greatest chess player to ever live Bobby Fischer Against the World is the first and definitive biopic of the prodigy and chess champion and is a general study of genius and madness. His trajectory propelled him from child prodigy to world class champion at age 29 and then into a nosedive of delusions and paranoia. Fischer was a recluse for decades before resurfacing for a bizarre final chapter as a fugitive. Rare archival footage and insightful interviews with those closest to him expand this captivating story of a mastermind’s tumultuous rise—and fall.

Mongrel Media will release in Canada, Madman Entertainment will release in Australia & New Zealand, Dogwoof will release in the UK, and Ealing Studios International is handling and representing the rest of the World on behalf of the Producers at this year’s EFM Market in Berlin.

Liz Garbus said, “I’m so grateful for my extraordinary partnership with HBO Documentary Films and Stanley Buchthal, which brought the film to this point. I now look forward to HBO introducing the film to the world, and am thrilled that Music Box Films will be expanding the film into theaters and on DVD. Music Box has an outstanding lineup of films, and I am very proud Bobby Fischer Against the World will be amongst them.”

Ed Arentz and Bill Schopf stated, “We are excited to bring this great film to US audiences. This is the definitive movie on Bobby Fischer and we are proud that it is our first documentary film that we are releasing.”

Liz Garbus is the director of The Farm: Angola, USA, The Execution of Wanda Jean, Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech.

Founded in 2007, Music Box Films has quickly established itself as one of the leading distributors of non-English language feature films in the US in theatres, onDVD/Blu-ray and via Video-on- Demand. Music Box’s release of Guillaume Canet’s TELL NO ONE was the most popular and sucessful foreign-language film of 2008 and in 2010, the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson trilogy of international mega sellers dominated the foreign-language film market. The first in the series, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, with over $10 million in US box office was one the most popular international releases of the decade. Music Box Films is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation which also owns and operates The Music Box Theatre , Chicago’s premiere venue for independent and foreign films.

A list of reviews can be found here.

Picture by Music Box Films