The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam Wins Over Audiences and Expands in California

The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam Wins Over Audiences and Expands in California

Texas Premiere Raises Funds for Charity

HOUSTON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh from winning the hearts of Russian audiences at The Moscow International Film Festival, Kayvan Mashayekh's, "The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam" has created a tidal wave of support locally for an important charity. The Texas Premiere of this independently produced epic raised more than $90,000 for Texas Children's Cancer Center, and filmmaker and movie stars were on hand on June 23 to promote the film at the star-studded event.

"I chose Texas Children's Cancer Center as the beneficiary of the Premiere because while filming a few scenes at the hospital two years ago, they only charged me a $1 location fee," said Mashayekh. "This was my way of giving back and saying thank you."

Over the weekend, the film, produced by Guide Company Films, began it's two week limited engagement at The Angelika Film Center in Houston with astounding force by becoming the highest grossing film at that theater playing alongside the nationally ranked # 1 Movie Batman Begins and overpowering it at the Box Office by a margin of over 2 to 1. For the past three weeks in release The Keeper has been ranked as one of the top 7 independently produced films in the US based on a per screen average.

As a result of glowing reviews and continued box office success, The Keeper opens July 1 at Edwards University Town Center 6 in Irvine, CA and Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, CA. A special screening will take place at Laemmle Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica on Saturday and Sunday mornings, July 2 and 3.

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. 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.

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

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