SMART, HILARIOUS RELIGIOUS PARODY ‘BELIEVE ME’–DEBUTS ON DVD; Featuring UNBROKEN’s Alex Russell, Boardwalk Empire’s Christopher McDonald, Park and Rec’s Nick Offerman

SMART, HILARIOUS RELIGIOUS PARODY

‘BELIEVE ME’–DEBUTS ON DVD TODAY

Featuring UNBROKEN’s Alex Russell, Boardwalk Empire’s

Christopher McDonald, Park and Rec’s Nick Offerman

WHAT:
Irreverent, funny, insightful, BELIEVE ME has a growing cult following. “Smart” and “sly” The New York Times said of Riot Films’ first feature film, BELIEVE ME.“ [Its] congeniality,” the Times said, “in no way dulls its humor or the sharpness of its observations.” 

“Comedic perfection.”
Truth in Cinema

“A smartly made wonder.”
Relevant

“Eye-opening and necessary.”
Baptist Press

“This Christian satire gets it right.”
CT—Christianity Today

WHO:
BELIEVE ME stars Alex Russell (UNBROKEN, CHRONICLE) and Zach Knighton (Happy Endings), featuring Johanna Braddy (Video Game High School, EASY A), Max Adler (Glee), Miles Fisher (FINAL DESTINATION 5), and Sinqua Walls (Teen Wolf), with Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) as Sean and Christopher McDonald (Boardwalk Empire) as Ken. Making his feature debut in the film: award-winning rapper Lecrae, whose most recent album, Anomaly, earned a Grammy and landed atop Billboard charts.

WHEN:
Available March 3, 2015, at Walmart, Target and Amazon

IMPACT:
New Breed of Filmmakers Cheered by Christians and Critics
Three friends. Between them three years conceiving, writing, raising funds for, producing, directing, shooting, editing and now, distributing, a feature-length film with a star cast.

Oh . . . and they’re 26 years old.

Meet Riot Studios—Will Bakke, Michael B. Allen and Alex Carroll. High school friends from Dallas who attended different colleges—and spent their college summers making movies. Those bootstrap adventures afforded them priceless experience.

Example: Their documentary/college road flick BEWARE OF CHRISTIANS drew devoted crowds at college campuses across the country as the guys put together their own tour . . and sold DVDs with an innovative “pay what you can” pricing strategy.

Instead of simply capturing stories on film then hoping to find an audience, they built a brand—Riot Studios—and created their own audience . . . one that will stay with them and grow in coming years and more films.

Their first feature, BELIEVE ME, combines a star cast, wry humor and deep insight into a movie that challenges assumptions.

“Four college friends see people believe any voice that shouts loudly enough, and they use it for their own gain by starting a fake charity,” Bakke said. “BELIEVE ME looks at the power of platforms, particularly among today’s young Christians.”

SYNOPSIS:
Sam Atwell (Alex Russell) stands on stage as thousands of fans go wild. Smart, charismatic, handsome, he moves them with his message, and when he calls for donations to his charity, the money pours in.  Only thing, Sam doesn’t believe a word he’s saying.

Months earlier Sam was a typical college senior focused on keg stands, hookups and graduation. But when a surprise tuition bill threatens his dream of law school and leaves him thousands of dollars in the hole, he turns to new tactics. Convincing his three roommates they can make a killing exploiting the gullible church crowd, the guys start a sham charity and begin campaigning across the country, raising funds for a cause as fake as their message.

For Sam, embezzling money is easy compared to getting attention from the person he cares about the most. When Callie (Johanna Braddy), the tour manager and Sam’s love interest, finally uncovers the guys’ ruse, it’s Sam’s moment of truth. On the final night of the tour, before a packed auditorium but alone in the spotlight, it’s time for Sam Atwell to decide what he really believes.

PRODUCERS/CREW/DISTRIBUTION:
BELIEVE ME is produced by Alex Carroll and co-produced by Sandhya Shardanand, Gary Cogill, and Richard Toussaint. John Rutland is director of photography with casting by J.C. Cantu.

BELIEVE ME is a Riot Studios Production. Bonus features on the DVD include the theatrical trailer, deleted scenes and outtakes.

BELIEVE ME is distributed by Virgil Films. 

To learn more, visit:
BelieveMeFilm.com
Facebook.com/BelieveMeFilm
Twitter.com/BelieveMeFilm

And visit BelieveMeFilm.com/pressroom for:
BELIEVE ME Feature Length Trailer Release
BELIEVE ME Fact Sheet
BELIEVE ME Cast and Crew Bios

About Riot Studios  RiotStudios.com
Riot Studios tells stories that compel viewers to challenge their beliefs, weigh the alternatives and laugh while doing so. They aspire to make transparent and thoughtful art through film.

About Virgil Films VirgilFilmsEnt.com
Virgil Films & Entertainment was founded in 2003 by Joseph Amodei to acquire, market, and
distribute DVD, TV and digital product in the theatrical feature film, documentaries, special
interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with Pureflix Entertainment,
Focus on the Family, OWN, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions and
other high-profile entertainment brands since their inception. Releases from Virgil Films &
Entertainment include the compelling documentaries  Paper Clips, Christopher Reeve: Hope In
Motion, My Hope America with Billy Graham, Irreplaceable, Turnaround Jake, Dancer and the
Dame, Miss Representation; the timeless Forks Over Knives, Bible Quiz, and the Oscar®-
nominated documentaries Restrepo and Glen Campbell – I’ll Be Me.