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M-Appeal has closed more deals on “The Man With the Answers,” Stelios Kammitsis’ gay road trip dramedy about a spontaneous summer journey that unexpectedly turns into something more.

The company announced sales to Poland (Tongariro Releasing), Hong Kong (Edko Films), and Taiwan (Joint Entertainment Int.) during the Thessaloniki Film Festival, where the film played in the Meet the Neighbors competition. Previously inked deals include North America (Artsploitation Films), U.K. and Ireland (Peccadillo Pictures), France (Optimale), German-speaking territories (Salzgeber & Co.), and Benelux (Arti Film).

Kammitsis’ sophomore feature is the story of a former diving champion (Vasilis Magouliotis) whose life gets turned upside-down after the death of his grandmother. Setting off on a road trip to Germany, he meets a fellow traveler (Anton Weil) whose free-spirited personality soon prompts him to reveal the real reasons behind his trip. When their journey finally comes to an end, they’re confronted with the...

Kino Lorber will acquire through Artsploitation division six to eight theatrical titles a year and release as Artsploitation, A Kino Lorber Company.

Kino Lorber has acquired Artsploitation Films, the champion of international genre and cutting-edge specialty films such as Kim Yong-hoon’s South Korean crime thriller Beast Clawing At Straws and Sacha Polak’s Berlinale Fipresci winner Hemel.

Ray Murray, the Tla Entertainment Group founder who launched the company in 2014, and other members of his team will remain involved to help grow the business as a division and brand of Kino Lorber.

Going forward Kino Lorber will acquire through its...

The Santa Barbara Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Aaron Maurer’s documentary Invisible Valley, which profiles the stories of the disparate people that make up the Coachella Valley. It kicks off a festival that will run March 31-April 10 with a hybrid edition that includes online elements and screenings at a pair of pop-up beachside drive-in venues.

The full lineup revealed Tuesday features 47 world premieres and 37 U.S. premieres from 45 countries alongside the fest’s annual tributes featuring the likes of Bill Murray, Carey Mulligan, Sacha Baron Cohen and Amanda Seyfried which will be livestreamed online.

Every film screening will be offered for free this year, with a ticketed online component that will showcase the entire film lineup along with the tributes, industry panels and filmmaker Q&As.

The fest will close with a series of short documentaries by local filmmakers.

Here’s the trailer for Invisible Valley,...