Fuse network
attached to ‘Brothers of the Head’ release

IFC Films has teamed up with sister video music channel Fuse to release Brothers of the Head, a faux documentary about a pair of conjoined twins who form a punk rock band. The film, adapted from Brian Aldiss's novel, stars real-life twins Luke and Harry Treadaway in the story of a fictional band, the Big Bang, that takes the 1970s British punk scene by storm. But when the conjoined siblings realize they've been taken advantage of and manipulated by unscrupulous managers and hangers-on, the fury in their music explodes offstage. The film, from gay directors Lou Pepe and Keith Fulton--who are romantic, as well as filmmaking, partners--hits New York City on July 28 and select theaters around the country August 4. Indie studio IFC announced its pickup of North American distribution rights in January after the film's Toronto International Film Festival premiere. "We're still doing all distribution," IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring said. "Fuse just seemed like a natural partner. Their audience really fits the demographic for this film." The two Rainbow Media outlets plan cross-promotional efforts utilizing the channel's core audience of music lovers and promoting the myth that the film's band is real through music videos and interviews. The strategy may even extend to the Fuse-sponsored Vans Warped Tour concerts in the summer. "People who've seen the film insist they've heard the songs before, even though all the music is original," said Sehring, who also plans promotional tie-ins with the upcoming soundtrack release on Milan Records. Fuse tie-ins were part of the pitch IFC made to the filmmakers before securing the distribution deal. "We talked about it in Toronto a year ago," Sehring said. "Our involvement allowed us to enter into another medium, while maintaining our core mission of providing our viewers with compelling and original music-related content," said Fuse general manager Catherine Mullen. IFC also released Fulton and Pepe's Terry Gilliam documentary Lost in La Mancha in 2002. Brothers is their first fictional feature. Fuse is planning the film's broadcast debut in the first quarter of 2007. (Gregg Goldstein, Reuters)