MALIBU, Calif., June 17, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Empire Film Group, Inc., (Pink Sheets:EFGU - News; http://www.empirefilmgroup.com) will release the festival hit, "Chelsea On The Rocks" from director Abel Ferrara to theaters nationwide commencing August 14th at the Chelsea Theater in Greenwich Village, New York City. The agreement was announced today and was negotiated between Empire Home Entertainment President Fred Shefte with producer Jen Gatien's DeerJen Productions and Executive Producer David Wasserman. The film chronicles the notorious history of New York City's Chelsea Hotel, and features Ethan Hawke ("Training Day"), Dennis Hopper ("Swing Vote"), Adam Goldberg ("Saturday Night Live") and Bijou Phillips ("Choke") with archival footage featuring Andy Warhol, Janice Joplin, Jerry Garcia and other infamous and notorious former residents.

Source: Empire Film Group, Inc.
·  Chelsea On The Rocks ·  Website

The film was officially unspooled at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and was featured at CineVegas, 2008 and the Miami International Film Festival in March. Following the New York City launch at Clearview Cinema's Chelsea Theater, Empire will roll-out the film to Chicago, Los Angeles and fifteen additional markets including: Minneapolis and Nashville (Sept. 18), Dallas-Ft. Worth (Sept. 25), San Francisco and Berkeley (Oct. 9), Boston (Oct. 16) and Seattle (Oct. 30). DVD and Blu-Ray release is anticipated for February, 2010.

"We're pleased to be working again with Jen Gatien, who was our original contact for the licensing of 'Hounddog,'" said Eric Parkinson, CEO of Distribution for Empire. "The film has been on our target list since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, and the subsequent momentum from festival dates has only strengthened our enthusiasm. The film has an abundance of stars, artists, history and music, and should satisfy audiences for edgy and intelligent cinema."

Abel Ferrara has directed over twenty feature films and feature documentaries, including "King of New York" and "Bad Lieutenant."

"Chelsea on the Rocks" has been described as an intriguing salute to the personalities and artistic voices that have emerged from this legendary residence in Manhattan. Built in 1883, the Chelsea Hotel has long been synonymous with the bohemian scene, with occupants including Dylan Thomas, Thomas Wolfe, Janis Joplin, William Burroughs, the Grateful Dead, Sid Vicious and Quentin Crisp.

Empire Film Group, Inc. is a fully-integrated entertainment company, with in-house distribution divisions to service the theatrical, home video and television markets. The senior executives of Empire are seasoned and proven entertainment industry professionals, with expertise in all relevant arenas of production, marketing, distribution and finance. Empire also owns and operates Hannover House, a well-established book publisher and entertainment distributor founded in 1993.

Learn more about Empire Film Group at www.empirefilmgroup.com

Empire Film Group, Inc.
Jim Townsend
310-317-9176
JTownsend@EmpireFilmGroup.com