Variance bows, bent on big screen

August 17, 2008 Indie distributor Variance Films is launching with the theatrical release of the dark comedy "Smother" starring Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard and Liv Tyler and exec producer Terry Bradshaw's Hurricane Katrina football documentary "Walking on Dead Fish." Former ThinkFilm distribution and marketing director Dylan Marchetti wants Variance to bridge the gap between producers self-releasing features and traditional distributors, avoiding the direct-to-video trap that many indies encounter. Part of Marchetti's strategy is to avoid conventional New York/Los Angeles platform releases, instead looking to rollouts tailored to each film's target audience.

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