Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut film, “Lost River,” will open April 10 for a theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles and will also be available same day via national digital release in the U.S. This news comes the same day as the announcement of the film’s North American premiere being part of the SXSW Film Festival, running March 13 – 21 in Austin Texas. The announcement was made today by Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, and Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

“I am excited that ‘Lost River’ is being released by Warner Bros. and having its North American premiere at SXSW”

“Ryan is one of the most exciting actors of his generation and ‘Lost River’ reveals that he is also one of its most promising young directors,” said Kroll. “His debut film is a singular vision of stranded people finding connection in a broken world. We believe in this film and in Ryan as a director, and are delighted to be working with him in this new role. This is a great opportunity to give audiences the chance to discover this compelling, original work for themselves.”

Added Fellman, “By capitalizing on the growing variety of film release opportunities, we can better target the right audience and give ‘Lost River’ a bigger and more focused voice than it would have if we put it exclusively in theaters. We are excited to see the result.”

“I am excited that ‘Lost River’ is being released by Warner Bros. and having its North American premiere at SXSW,” said Gosling. ”It’s a small specialty film, so for me, this day-and-date theatrical and digital release plan provides the best of both worlds. It allows those who are interested in seeing my film in a theatre to do so without excluding the majority of people who don’t have access to a specialty cinema. VOD is giving a new life to independent cinema and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to showcase the wonderful work of my cast and crew on such a broad platform.”

The film, from Sierra Affinity, Phantasma Films and Bold Films, stars Christina Hendricks (TV’s “Mad Men”), Saoirse Ronan (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), Iain De Caestecker (TV’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Matt Smith (TV’s “Doctor Who”), Reda Kateb (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Barbara Steele (TV’s “Dark Shadows”), with Eva Mendes (“The Place Beyond the Pines”), and Ben Mendelsohn (“The Dark Knight Rises”). In addition to directing the film, Gosling also wrote the screenplay. The producers are Marc Platt (“Into the Woods”), Gosling, Adam Siegel (“Drive”), Michael Litvak (“Nightcrawler”) and David Lancaster (“Nightcrawler”). Gary Michael Walters and Jeffrey Stott served as executive producers. Johnny Jewel (“Drive”) composed the film’s music.

“Lost River” is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger. In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, Billy (Christina Hendricks), a single mother of two, is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together. Her teenage son Bones (Iain De Caestecker) discovers a mystery about the origins of Lost River that triggers his curiosity and sets into motion an unexpected journey that will test his limits and the limits of those he loves.

“Lost River” composer Johnny Jewel will be releasing the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on his record label, Italians Do It Better, on March 30, ahead of the film’s theatrical release on April 10. The soundtrack features original score by Jewel, vocal performances from “Lost River” stars Saoirse Ronan and Ben Mendelsohn, as well as songs written for the film by Jewel’s groups Chromatics, Glass Candy, and Desire. The soundtrack will be released on CD and digitally as well as a collectible double record pressed on purple vinyl. “Lost River” reunites the collaborative efforts of writer-director Ryan Gosling and critically acclaimed musician Johnny Jewel, who first worked together on the soundtrack success of ”Drive.”

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