Y Production announced today a distribution deal with Mark Urman’s Paladin for a February, 2017 nationwide theatrical release of “The Ottoman Lieutenant.” A sweeping epic adventure and timeless love story, “The Ottoman Lieutenant” stars Michiel Huisman (“Harley and the Davidsons,” “The Age of Adeline,” “Game of Thrones”), Hera Hilmar (“Anna Karenina,” “DaVinci’s Demons”) Josh Hartnett (“Penny Dreadful,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Pearl Harbor”), and Academy Award-Winner Sir Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi,” “Schindler’s List”). CAA negotiated the domestic deal. Ancillary and international release plans are currently being finalized. Paladin will mount a limited Academy qualifying run in December, 2016.
A Y Production, in association with Eastern Sunrise Films, the film is directed by Joseph Ruben (“Sleeping With the Enemy,” “The Forgotten”) from a screenplay by Jeff Stockwell (“Bridge to Terabitha,” “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys”). Stephen Joel Brown (“The Fugutive,” “Outbreak,” “Se7en” produced.
The movie was filmed at Barrandov Studios in Prague along with other locations in the Czech Republic, as well as in Istanbul and Cappadoccia, Turkey.
“The Ottoman Lieutenant” is the first movie to explore the eastern front of World War I, and tells the story of a beautiful, strong-willed woman (Hera Hilmar), who, frustrated by ongoing injustice at home, leaves the United States after meeting Jude, an American doctor (Josh Hartnett) who runs a remote medical mission within the Ottoman Empire — a world both exotic and dangerous, and on the brink of what is about to become the first World War. There, she finds her loyalty to Jude and the mission’s founder, (Ben Kingsley) tested when she falls in love with their perceived enemy, a lieutenant in the Ottoman Imperial Army (Michiel Huisman). Now, with invading army forces at their doorstep, and the world about to plunge into all-out war, she must decide if she wants to be what other people want her to be, or to be herself.
Stephen Joel Brown, CEO of Y Production and a Producer of “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” said, “We are very excited to have partnered with Paladin for the distribution of ‘The Ottoman Lieutenant.’ Mark Urman and his team bring decades of experience and expertise to the marketing and distribution of this important and timeless motion picture. ‘The Ottoman Lieutenant’ demonstrates the common pain that civilians suffer when their lives are thrown into chaos and upheaval by outside forces. It also affirms the power of love to cross all cultural boundaries. Mark Urman’s understanding and passion for this timeless story, and its relevance to the world today, will serve the picture well as it is marketed and released to the U.S. market and internationally.” Urman adds, “We are excited to be bringing The Ottoman Lieutenant to American audiences. Not only does it bring a little-known chapter of history to thrilling life, it does so on an epic scale, and with a romantic sweep, that will be a joy to experience on the big screen.”
