Spike Lee’s Brooklyn coming-of-age story, "Red Hook Summer," will be the first independent distribution effort from Lee-founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, the company announced on Wednesday.
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks will partner with Variance Films for the release.
Also read: Spike Lee Retweet of George Zimmerman Address Leaves Florida Couple in Fear
The film, about a sullen young boy from middle-class Atlanta who spends the summer with his deeply religious grandfather in Brooklyn's Red Hook housing project, premiered at this year's Sundance festival. It will open Aug. 10 in New York and expand throughout the month.
"Red Hook Summer" is the latest in Lee’s series of films set around Brooklyn, including "She's Gotta Have It," "Do the Right Thing," "Crooklyn," "Clockers" and "He Got Game."
Also read: Spike Lee Apologizes for Tweeting Wrong Address for Trayvon Martin Shooter
“I’m elated to join forces with Variance Films for the independent distribution of my new joint 'Red Hook Summer,'" Lee said in a statement. "We look forward to getting this film into the marketplace, where we believe 100 percent that there is a starving audience for American independent films.”
“Variance’s sole mission is to ensure filmmakers retain their rights and their power, and I can’t think of a filmmaker that would make better use of both than Spike Lee," Dylan Marchetti, founder of Variance Films, said in the statement.