The Animated Sci-Fi Epic, Hand-Drawn and Directed by Nick DiLiberto Releases March 28, 2017
“The two most important words this year are... Nova Seed.”
-- Harry Knowles, Ain't It Cool News and Co-Founder of Fantastic Fest
TORONTO, Canada and FUKUOKA, Japan [March 7, 2017] – Gorgon Pictures and House of Cool announced today the March 28th North American release of Nick DiLiberto’s sci-fi fantasy adventure, Nova Seed, the director’s feature film debut. Animated in 2D as a solo effort by DiLiberto, this film is the product of four years’ work and is comprised of 60,000 painstakingly hand-drawn frames. DiLiberto’s Nova Seed has just completed a year-long run at festivals around the world including, its world premiere at TAAFI in Toronto, a US premiere at Fantastic Fest, and the European premiere at 14th Carrefour du Cinéma d'Animation in Paris. Nova Seed garnered a nomination for the coveted Satoshi Kon Award at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Pre-sales for Nova Seed begin March 7, 2017 on VHX, the House of Cool portal where the special edition is available. Stephen Verrall’s soundtrack album will be available on all digital platforms March 24 through Lakeshore Records. The March 28 release will see the film’s availability expand to Mondo (SVOD), Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes and Amazon.com. Nova Seed is an action-packed, post-apocalyptic, Sci-fi adventure that follows a lion-man (a Neo-Animal Combatant or NAC) who must save the Nova Seed, a mystic force of nature in the form of a girl, from Dr. Mindskull, an evil half-man bent on remaking the world in his image. Nova Seed is written by Nick DiLiberto (who worked in the animation department for Asura’s Wrath, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Mass Effect) and Joe DiLiberto, and executive produced by Ricardo Curtis (The Book of Life, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc.), Adele DiLiberto, John DiLiberto, Nick DiLiberto and Wes Lui (The Book of Life, Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade, Dragons: Race to the Edge). Music by Canadian musician, Stephen Verrall. "This is the film that every true lover of animated movies has been waiting for,” said Ricardo Curtis, President and Creative Director of House of Cool. "Nova Seed is one man’s brilliant vision of what animation should be. Nick is the second coming of great auteurs like Moebius and Ralph Bakshi, in the form of a modern day Heavy Metal." DiLiberto said, "I grew up with 2D animated shows like He-Man and Thunder Cats and I wanted to be a part of that, but as an adult I was disappointed that everything I saw and worked on was so slick and manufactured. I wanted to make something that made me feel like I did when I was a kid, and I was tired of waiting for Disney or DreamWorks to make it for me. So, I made it myself." "Every now and then, you see something that is so original that you have to be a part of it. Nova Seed is that type of film," said Kate Moo King-Curtis (The Prince of Egypt, Road to El Dorado, Curious George), Creative Developer at House of Cool. "The red on screen is literally from Nick’s bleeding fingers."
About Nick DiLiberto: Born and raised in Hamilton, Canada, Nick DiLiberto always had a passion for drawing and film-making. Graduating with Honours from the Sheridan College Classical Animation program, he began his career in the video game industry eventually working on the critically acclaimed Mass Effect franchise. After working his way up to Lead Animator, he moved to Japan where he worked as Animation Director. About Gorgon Pictures: Gorgon Pictures Inc. is an Independent animation studio located in Fukuoka, Japan, established by Canadian filmmaker Nick DiLiberto, which is dedicated to creating fully 2D hand drawn animated films. With its first feature film Nova Seed (2016), an award-winning Sci-fi adventure, Gorgon Pictures has become an inspiration to artists and filmmakers around the world and continues to push the envelope in its approach and techniques to the medium. About House of Cool: House of Cool is an international leader in storytelling and animation. Established in 2004, the Canadian firm has contributed its award-winning creative expertise to leading studios and brands around the world, including pre-production on films such as Angry Birds (2016), Peanuts (2015), Rio 2 (2014), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Despicable Me (2010) and Horton Hears A Who (2008).
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Media contact: Cynthia Amsden, Roundstone Communications Email: [email protected] Tel: 416.910.7740 Julie Giles, greenHAT digital Email: [email protected] Tel: 416-878-5328