‘ELLIS’ STARRING ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER ROBERT DE NIRO TO BE DISTRIBUTED GLOBALLY BY ITUNES ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH IN 85 COUNTRIES

              Facebook to Preview ELLIS for 24 hours in Addition to 800 Community Screenings Around the World

(New York,  November 2015)  French Artist and director JR announced today that his short narrative film, ELLIS will be screened in over 800 communities and will partner with Facebook for a 24 hour preview on Thursday, November 19th. ELLIS, which stars Academy Award® Winner Robert De Niro, was written by Academy Award® winner Eric Roth, and directed by the installation artist JR, is estimated to be viewed by at least 100,000 people who will gather together for screenings from November 9th through the 22nd. iTunes will distribute the film in over 85 countries starting Friday, November 20th.

Set in the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex and using JR’s Unframed art installations, ELLIS tells the forgotten story of the immigrants who built America. It is the story of the ghosts of our countries past, the individuals who fled poverty, discrimination, and dictatorships, for a chance at a new life and eerily foreshadows the plight of those who currently seek the same opportunities and safety in this country and other parts of the world.

While the film is focused on one story in Ellis Island, the story resonates across the U.S. and around the world, as seen in the screenings booked across South America and Europe, and in China, Australia, Canada, and Israel.

“‎America is a nation of immigrants. We came in waves; we came in trickles; we came in chains. Some of us were running away from oppression; some were dragged from our homes; many were chasing a better life. As new generations were born, some of us forgot how America was made and history proved an unreliable narrator. This is the area where art can fill the gap, illuminate the experience, and create the conversation. Through ELLIS we hope to have captured the spirit of our past and allow an opportunity for discussion around the current immigration crisis,” said Jane Rosenthal‎,‎ producer and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises.‎

Picture Motion ran ELLIS’s Impact Distribution, which sought to connect the film with audiences around the world to inspire conversations. Events hosts had to agree to follow the film with conversation and action around the worldwide refugee crisis and/or immigration policy

“It’s an honor and a privilege to work with JR and the team behind ELLIS to bring the film to hundreds of communities around the world this month,” said Julie Kohn, Campaign Director at Picture Motion, and manager of the film’s Impact Distribution. “At Picture Motion we believe in the power of convening people around great films for the purpose of creating change, and we’re already starting to see Ellis be a catalyst for empathy and action.”

Screening hosts include: New York Immigration Coalition, NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, YMCA International Services, TEDx, NYC Department of Education, Google, CAA, Apple, Amazon, in addition to the hundreds of colleges, universities, high schools and art schools around the world.

For more information on the Tribeca story and the making of ELLIS: Here

For more information on ELLIS, starring Robert De Niro on @tribeca: Here