Berlin selection ‘Monk In Pieces’ lands North American deal

Exclusive: Zeitgeist Films, co-operating with Kino Lorber, has won North American rights to this year’s Berlinale World Premiere Friars in pieces.

The film profiles Meredith Monk, an interdisciplinary artist who rose to life in the male-dominated downtown art scene in New York in the 1960s and ’70s.

Monk established herself as the main light in music, opera, dance, visual arts and cinema, and won special honors for her innovative vocal techniques. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts Award from President Obama in 2015.

This feature includes interviews with Björk, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, and fellow composer Philip Glass.

Friars in piecesBilly Sibal’s film was produced, written and directed by Sibal and David Roberts and produced by Susan Margolin.

The documentary won the US premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival, and previously performed at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival.

Zeitgeist Films will be released in theaters at IFC Center in New York this summer, and will then be rolled out nationwide.

Co-president Emily Russo negotiated a contract with Margolin. In a statement, Russo and co-president Nancy Gerstman said: “For many fans of the Priest K and those who are completely unfamiliar with her work, this film is offered on all levels.