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SAM KITT:

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, SUCKER FREE CITY

Sam Kitt has worked for many years in both the independent and studio filmmaking worlds. Mr. Kitt began his career in New York in the late '70s where he organized "American Mavericks", one the first film festivals to celebrate the rise of independent American films. Later at Libra Films and as head of United Artists Classics, Mr. Kitt was instrumental in the distribution of such films as Eraserhead, Return of the Secaucus Seven, The Draughtsman's Contract, and The Grey Fox. In 1985 he was retained by the Independent Feature Project to reorganize their annual Independent Feature Market, which showcases the output of American independents to international buyers and progammers. In Mr. Kitt's two-year tenure, the market reached new levels of attendance and profitability. In 1988, Mr.Kitt moved to Universal Pictures in Los Angeles as an acquisitions executive. He brought to the studio Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing and Lasse Halstrom's first American film, Once Around. Mr. Kitt soon made the transition to production executive and worked with Spike Lee on a series of films at Universal including Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, and Clockers. He also helped to supervise such projects as Richard Linklaters' Dazed and Confused, Phil Alden Robinson's Sneakers, Ron Howard's Far and Away, and Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill. In May 1997, Mr. Kitt joined Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks as President of Production. Based in Los Angeles, he supervised development and production of the 40 Acres feature film and television slate. During his tenure, the company produced He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, The Original Kings of Comedy, and The 25th Hour all directed by Mr. Lee. In addition, Mr. Kitt and Mr. Lee have produced the The Best Man for Universal and Love and Basketball for New Line Cinema. Mr. Kitt also produced a number of projects for Showtime Entertainment including the telefilms 3 A.M. and Good Fences and the two-hour series pilot Sucker Free City, which was directed by Mr. Lee and shown at the Toronto Film Festival. In July 2004, Mr. Kitt founded Future Films where he is developing a varied slate of studio and independent projects for film and television.

 

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