Houston Filmmaker Sells Out International Premiere at Moscow International Film Festival

Houston Filmmaker Sells Out International Premiere at Moscow International Film Festival

HOUSTON, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Kayvan Mashayekh, an Iranian-American filmmaker from Houston, was greeted on Sunday by a huge crowd in the 600-seat Khudozhestvennyi Theater in Russia at the Moscow International Film Festival's screening of The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam.

The film opened on June 10th in Los Angeles and according to box office reporting service Rentrak Inc, the film ranked fourth in the nation for its opening weekend and second in the nation amongst independent films (both based on a per screen average), an impressive feat for a newly released independent film.

The film, produced by Guide Company Films, expands to Texas with a grand gala premiere at The Angelika Film Center in Houston on June 23 with a benefit for Texas Children's Cancer Center. Pre-event fundraising efforts have produced more than $79,000 for the Cancer Center. "Texas Children's generosity while I was filming The Keeper was truly overwhelming. Selecting them as the beneficiary of the Texas premiere is my way of saying thank you," said Keeper Director Mashayekh.

The Keeper is the first American film produced almost entirely in Uzbekistan, once the heart of ancient Persia. This independent film has an international cast including Moritz Bleibtreu (Run Lola Run), Diane Baker, C. Thomas Howell, and Academy Award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave. Some of the stars will be on hand for the Texas premiere. This historical epic tells the story of a boy living in Houston, TX who uncovers a personal connection to the great Omar Khayyam, the 11th century scientist and poet of the famous Rubaiyat. The boy learns the importance of preserving Khayyam's poetry. The Keeper reminds us all to embrace our own traditions and pass them from generation to generation.

The Keeper will begin its Houston theatrical run at The Angelika Film Center, located at 510 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas during its two-week Exclusive Engagement from June 24 through July 7. For showtimes check your local listings or go to http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/houston .

Source: Guide Company Films

CONTACT: Gretchen Ferguson, gretchen@theprboutique.com , or Karen Henry, karen@theprboutique.com , both of The PR Boutique, +1-713-599-1271, for Guide Company Films

Web site: http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/houston

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