Minnesota filmmakers team with Oscar-winning team to produce the independent feature THE PERSECUTED

Oct. 6, 2010 - PRLog -- Minnesota filmmakers and Directors of Solstice Universal Film Festival Devin Halden and Andy Salmen join a team lead by Oscar-winning producer Gray Frederickson (THE GODFATHER and APOCALYPSE NOW) to produce the action-thriller titled THE PERSECUTED.

The independent feature is a faith-based film based on the original screenplay written by Daniel Lusko who will also be directing the film. THE PERSECUTED is the story of a man who turns his back on a life of privilege to lead his nation to freedom. Visit http://thepersecutedmovie.com for more information and updates on the film.  

“The Persecuted is about a renowned evangelist framed for murder and hunted to the point of death.  To me, this is what the Gospels call ‘taking up the cross.’  It's a complete oil-and-water scenario, I liken it to taking a Billy Graham-type and throwing him into the clutches of a Hitchcock-like thriller.” explains Lusko.

Academy Award-winning producer Frederickson won an Oscar as co-producer of THE GODFATHER, PART II (1974) and received an Academy Award nomination for his work as co-producer of APOCALYPSE NOW (1979). This is the first faith-based project that Frederickson has worked on and he is thrilled for the potential impact this film may have both financially and culturally. "I thoroughly enjoyed this script and am excited to be involved in producing this exciting movie. I don’t often find projects that satisfy me as much as this one does.... you are sitting on a goldmine” Frederickson exclaimed in a conversation with Lusko.

Halden is the founder of Solstice Universal Film Festival and Salmen has been part of Solstice since 2008. The duo formed the motion picture company SolCo Entertainment based in Minneapolis, MN in 2009. When SolCo was approached to manage the financing, distribution and marketing strategy of the film, Halden said, “We were first attracted to the film because of its message and the universality of the film's theme. It is attractive to mainstream audiences, as well as, a built in niche demographic.”

Similar to the box-office blockbuster THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, the marketing and distribution strategy for this film is based on its great crossover potential and worldwide appeal within the faith and family demographic.

Salmen feels that “THE PERSECUTED is an edgy and stirring story that has great box-office potential. THE PERSECUTED’s message is in-line with the current cultural and political climate. It is a timely script that is relevant and will resonate with people throughout the world.”

For more information on the SolCo Entertainment visit on THE PERSECUTED visit http://www.thepersecutedmovie.com or http://www.solcoentertainment.com. For further inquiries contact Andy Salmen at (612) 309-3224 or by email at asalmen@solcoentertainment.com

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SolCo Entertainment is a motion picture company formed to create quality entertainment that inspires and entertains. SolCo’s strategy is focused on cutting-edge distribution and exhibition techniques for the original programming it produces.