Magenta Light Studios, the production and distribution company founded by Bob Yari, is expanding its indie ambitions with the launch of a new specialty label, Magenta Edge Films.
Positioned as a home for bold, original independent storytelling across theatrical and platform releases, Magenta Edge Films will focus on distinctive voices and filmmaker-driven projects.
“Magenta Edge Films allows us to deepen our commitment to distinctive independent voices while expanding ways in which we bring those stories to audiences,” Yari said to Variety.
The label has already made its first acquisition with Fantastic Fest standout Appofeniacs, a film that explores the dangerous ripple effects of AI-generated deepfakes as they spread across a web of interconnected lives, blurring reality and escalating toward violent consequences.
Writer-director Chris Marrs Piliero has been clear that the film isn’t a cautionary tech thriller in the traditional sense. “I didn’t want the film to focus on deepfakes as a technology,” Piliero previously told Variety. “I didn’t want this to be ‘AI is coming to get you’ or a supercomputer or anything of that sort. It’s more about the human element and the fallout of it. I’m using deepfakes to show how easily our lives can unravel and spiral. Obviously, I have fun with it in the film and take it to a heightened level, but I wanted to use grounded, realistic scenarios that are kind of benign and trivial.”
Piliero added that the project was born from a growing sense of urgency. “I saw a frightening shift in our society approaching and felt compelled to make a film about it,” he said. “I dipped into my savings, got an incredible team together, and turned a passion project into reality. Next thing you know, we’re getting audience reactions beyond what we could have hoped for coming out of festivals. It truly has been such a rad, life-changing experience thus far, and I’m thrilled to now partner with Magenta Edge to release ‘Appofeniacs’ theatrically and digitally in support of independent filmmaking.”
Industry executive Bill Vergos, Magenta Light Studios’ head of digital film distribution, will lead the new division. The label is designed to support curated theatrical and digital releases while emphasizing audience engagement, talent discovery, and meaningful filmmaker partnerships. Magenta Edge plans to acquire a wide range of genre features, documentaries, and festival titles.
“Independent filmmaking has always been about more than just making movies. It is about creativity, courage and community,” Vergos said. “Magenta Edge Films is a true home for filmmakers, a place where new voices and passionate creators can thrive while connecting with audiences in meaningful ways.”
Appofeniacs stars Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler, Will Brandt, Paige Searcy, Simran Jehani, Harley Bronwyn, Michael Abbott Jr. and Sean Gunn. The film is slated for a theatrical release later this year.
“Appofeniacs embodies the creative ambition behind Magenta Edge Films,” Vergos added to Variety. “It is bold, original and built for audiences who want discovery. Launching the label with a film like this clearly signals the kind of storytelling and filmmaker partnership we believe in.”
Magenta Light Studios’ recent releases include Simon West’s Bride Hard, starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, as well as J.T. Mollner’s thriller Strange Darling. The studio will next release Adrian Grunberg’s Protector in theaters on March 6, followed by Renny Harlin’s Deep Water on May 1.
Variety was the first to report this.
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