Anchor Films acquires 'City Island'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 22 (UPI) -- Anchor Bay Films says it acquired distribution rights to the big-screen comedy "City Island" for North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, the movie about family secrets and lies won the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival Heineken Audience Award. Its cast includes Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Alan Arkin, Emily Mortimer, Ezra Miller and Dominik Garcia-Lorido.

"We are thrilled to acquire such a crowd-pleasing comedy," Anchor Bay Entertainment President Bill Clark said in a statement. "'City Island' features a fantastic ensemble cast, led by the talented Andy Garcia, whose performance Variety lauded as 'virtuoso' and his audition scene a 'comic mini-masterpiece.'"

"Everyone has crazy family members, which may be why people connect so strongly with 'City Island.' This film is guaranteed to entertain and we're proud to be including it in the Anchor Bay Films line-up," added Anchor Bay Films's senior vice president of acquisitions, Kevin Kasha.

The company did not say when it plans to release the film in theaters.