HBO Feature Broadcast Documentary “39 Pounds of Love” is Now Available on Netflix

Oct. 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Metuchen, New Jersey – Passion River Films, along with Priddy Brothers, is pleased to announce that “39 Pounds of Love”, a documentary about Ami Ankilewitz, a 34 year-old man who lives with an extremely rare form of SMA/2, is now available on Netflix.

“39 Pounds of Love” tells the remarkable story of Ami Ankilewitz, whose mother was told that he would not live past the age of six.  Ami is now 34 years old and continues to surpass his doctor’s expectations everyday.  This documentary follows as Ami and his friends take a cross-country journey to find the doctor who thought that he wouldn’t survive.

The part of this story that ultimately amazes audiences is that due to his disease, Ami has been rendered immobile except for his left index finger, which he uses to create 3D computer animations.   Ami’s story truly is an inspirational one and audiences get to watch as he defies the odds, lives well beyond his life expectancy, creates beautiful art despite his disability and tries to accomplish his goal of riding a Harley Davidson.

Filmmaker Dani Menkin captures the perseverance and dedication with which Ami lives his life and achieves his goals throughout this uplifting documentary.  

Highly acclaimed Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times raves about “39 Pounds of Love,” calling it “bracingly honest, yet poetic…” while Phil Hall of Film Threat says, “If there is one film which makes the most out of life, this is it.”

“39 Pounds of Love” was awarded Best Documentary at many film festivals including the Palm Beach International Film Festival, the Tahoe/Reno Film Festival, and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.  The documentary also won the 2005 Ophir Award at the Israeli Academy of Film & Television.

Dani Menkin. 39 Pounds of Love. Documentary. 70 minutes. 2005. Full Screen. English, Hebrew, Spanish. Color. Stereo. NR.

Passion River specializes in film marketing and DVD distribution for unique documentaries, foreign movies, independent films and special interest titles to retail stores and libraries nationwide. Their non-exclusive film distribution business model allows producers to self-distribute their films as a way to reach major retailers and a wide audience. They also book films and talent for public performances and speaking events on college campuses across the country. For more information about their new films and events, as well as their film distribution seminars and movie marketing workshops, visit: http://www.passionriver.com.

Contact: Mat Levy
Company: Passion River Films
Phone: (732) 321-0711
Address: 416 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Metuchen, NJ 08840
Email: mat@passionriver.com
Website: www.Passionriver.com

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Since 1998, Passion River Films has been devoted to marketing, distributing, and representing unique independent films, foreign movies, documentaries, and special interest titles. For more information visit www.passionriver.com