The Premiere of Alexis Michalik’s Anticipation themed FRIDAY NIGHT will Launch the 2016 Lexus Short Films Screenings

Friday Night will be the first movie to be premiered in this year’s Lexus Short Films Series, screened as part of today’s opening night programme for the Tokyo Short Shorts festival.

Presented by Lexus and The Weinstein Company, Friday Night is a debut feature by French director Alexis Michalik, inspired by this year’s series theme “anticipation”. It follows the experiences of Claire, a mother who becomes caught up in city-wide attack while visiting her daughter, a student in France. Finding herself in a strange place and unable to speak the language, she begins a desperate night-time search to find her daughter and ensure her safety.

The premiere will be followed by an after party at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO, a brand venue in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, where visitors can experience Lexus through design, art, fashion and culture. Lexus will host the event to celebrate Alexis’s achievement and the third Lexus Short Films series.

Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company, said “We are very excited to kick off the third series of premieres for the Lexus Short Films and it has been an honour to be an integral part of this programme alongside Lexus, which truly supports the accomplishments of these emerging filmmakers and the art of storytelling.”

David Nordstrom, Lexus International Global Branding General Manager, added, “We are thrilled to produce the Lexus Short Films Series with The Weinstein Company and this journey has been an incredible one thus far. Lexus appreciates the opportunity to provide support for these filmmakers to pursue their dreams and achieve greatness in their films overall.”

Following its Tokyo screening, Friday Night will be shown together the other three films in the series in a combined world premiere at the 2016 Napa Valley Film Festival in California in November. This will be the first time all four works will appear on the same bill, after having been featured individually at other festivals around the world.

David Glasser, The Weinstein Company Chief Operating Officer and President, said “We are very excited for the world to experience and see these inspiring and unique films and hear their stories.”

ABOUT LEXUS SHORT FILMS
In 2013, Lexus Short Films was launched with the goal of supporting and nurturing a new generation of emerging filmmakers. These aspiring directors and writers have received a unique opportunity supported by Lexus to collaborate with acclaimed film studio The Weinstein Company to produce and showcase their work on an international stage.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob’s tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 351 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS: THE KING’S SPEECH; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; THE IMITATION GAME; PADDINGTON; WOMAN IN GOLD; SOUTHPAW, CAROL and THE HATEFUL EIGHT. Upcoming releases include SING STREET, THE FOUNDER, HANDS OF STONE, and LION.

TWC boasts an active television production division which garnered twelve Emmy nominations in 2015. TWC Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars, hosted by Alyssa Milano, Project Runway Jr, featuring supermodel Hannah Davis and fashion critic Kelley Osbourne Under the Gunn, and Threads. Scripted series include John Fusco’s Marco Polo with Netflix, going into its second season, and War & Peace, which debuted on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY in 2016. Scripted projects in development include Ten Commandments, Daniel Stashower’s The Hour Of Peril and military drama Six. TWC will also launch several new projects in 2016 across several networks, including MTV, Lifetime, and AMC.