Premieres Wednesday, December 24th at 12:00am ET/PT
New York, November 24, 2008 – Sundance Channel will present the world television premiere of Christmas on Mars, a feature film by the psychedelic art-rock group The Flaming Lips (Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Michael Ivins, Kliph Scurlock), on Christmas Eve. An eccentric yet heartfelt sci-fi holiday story, the film was directed by Flaming Lips frontman Coyne, with Bradley Beesley and George Salisbury; Coyne also wrote the screenplay. The director of photography was. Beesley, who directed the Flaming Lips documentary Fearless Freaks. Christmas on Mars premieres on Wednesday, December 24th at 12:00am et/pt with encore airings on December 25th at 2:30pm, December 27th at 12:00pm and December 28th at 2:00am.
Approximately seven years in the making and filmed largely in Coyne’s Oklahoma backyard, Christmas on Mars harkens back to an earlier era of low-budget underground filmmaking, with trippy visuals and homemade props, sets and costumes. The story opens on Christmas Eve on a lonely and increasingly decrepit Mars space station that is about to experience the birth of its first baby. Christmas on Mars stars Drozd as an introspective crew member and Coyne as a mysterious green spaceman; the supporting cast includes Fred Armisen ("Saturday Night Live") and Adam Goldberg (I Love Your Work). The instrumental soundtrack is by The Flaming Lips. In a review for The New York Times, Andy Webster wrote: "Destined for cult status?Forget the plot, it’s about textures: black and white images with psychedelic bursts; dashes of David Lynch, the 70’s midnight movie "Dark Star" and "2001"; an echo of "The Wizard of Oz; and in a riff on maternity, maybe an iota of "the Matrix." Dude, pass the munchies."
Details are as follows:
Wednesday, December 24th at 12:00am
Christmas on Mars (World Television Premiere) – Directed by Wayne Coyne. It’s Christmas Eve on a Mars space station, but there is little holiday spirit to be felt; the claustrophobic atmosphere has bred anger, loneliness and even madness. Quietly, Major Syrtis (Steven Drozd) proceeds with his plans to stage a Christmas pageant to celebrate the colony’s first Martian Noel and the imminent birth of its first baby. When his designated Santa Claus becomes unavailable, Major Syrtis turns to a mysterious, newly arrived spaceman (Wayne Coyne) to replace him.
About Sundance Channel
Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, all unedited and commercial free. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. Sundance Channel’s website address is www.sundancechannel.com.
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world’s most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, Sundance Channel and VOOM HD Networks. Through IFC Entertainment, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a leading distribution company for independent film; IFC Productions, a feature film production company that provides financing for select independent film projects; and IFC Center, a three screen, state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales company; Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company; and 11 Penn TV, a company that manages Rainbow Media’s NYC studios and post-production facilities.