“Atlantis Down”, a new film starring Michael Rooker and Dean Haglund, premiered at the Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood on February 20th, 2011 as part of the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival, then again on April 29 at the prestigious Apollo Theatre in London (UK) during the 2011 Sci-Fi London Film Festival.
The film also screened in Portsmouth, Virginia (where it also had a limited 1-week theatrical engagement), selling out in just 2 weeks and at the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC.
On Thursday, September 15, The Italian Culture Institute of Los Angeles will host a screening of Atlantis Down at their Westwood, CA location.
Admission is free on a first come, first served basis.
The screening will begin at 6:30pm and there will be a Q&A with Max afterward. A link to the event is here.
“Atlantis Down” took just 11 months to complete from the time Max conceived the project—deciding that he wanted to write a low budget film—to wrap principal photography.
Produced using private funds, the film was shot under a strict deadline in 13 days—a day ahead of schedule, utilizing two cameras, eight locations, and six sets—built in just nine days.
Post was done in Italy, Richmond Virginia and Los Angeles, with Max coordinating all of the departments via Skype.
Included in post-production were 225 CGI shots
As part of the production process for “Atlantis Down,” Max came up with the idea of turning the film’s behind-the-scenes footage into an 8-episode reality show, which he sold to Cox 11 in Virginia.
Included in his deal with Cox, MaXaM Productions Holding LLC was allowed to put its own sponsors in the show. This brilliant, creative financing strategy completely paid for lodging and catering for the entire crew for the duration of principal photography.
But the best news of all, “Atlantis Down” was picked up for distribution by Entertainment 7 just one month after its Hollywood premiere—virtually unheard of in the independent film world. Entertainment 7 brought it to the Cannes Film Market and is now negotiating the rights in 5 countries, with sales in many more territories on the horizon.
