Malick's 'Tree of Life' to be Released by Apparition, Not Summit

New company gets a name and another movie

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Thursday, August 6th 2009 at 12:32 PM

We already knew Bill Pohlad and Bob Berney were putting together a new motion picture distribution company after they acquired the distribution rights to Jane Campion's Bright Star, we just didn't know the name of the company, which has today been revealed to be Apparition. In a press release just sent out, it is said the goal of the company is to be a fiercely independent, artist friendly distributor, one that champions the highest quality films and markets them with unmatched passion and commitment.

However, beyond what was already pretty much known, the press release also says Apparition will be handling distribution of The Tree of Life, written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. The news comes as a bit of a surprise to me since I had only heard about it being released by Summit Entertainment, even as recently as May, ScreenDaily said Summit still intended to release the film in the U.S. "later this year." Strangely enough, when calling Summit to ask whether they were no longer part of the picture a representative told me, "We were never handling [Tree of Life]" but perhaps their international arm had gotten involved at one point. The film was, and still is, listed on a Summit "In Production" page, but nevertheless, it's at Apparition now with no release date set as of yet.

Tree of Life tells the story of a family who must come to terms with a devastating loss. In doing so, they discover life’s most important lessons of unselfish love and forgiveness. The film is co-produced by Pohlad, Sarah Green, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill.

Further news regarding Malick's new feature comes to light from Daily Service (via The Playlist) telling us the director has recruited Peter Parks, a macro-photography specialist best known for his work in Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain where he used fluid dynamics in cooking up bacterias and fluids to create the effect of the space and infinity. As The Playlist points out, the result looked amazing and cost a meager $140,000.

As for Campion's Bright Star, it will be released on September 18 and is already being looked at as a serious Oscar contender.

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