The PennZone

LOS ANGELES - PennZone -- "Cosplay Universe," a documentary that explores the evolution and rise of the global phenomenon known as Cosplay, the art of dressing up as a character you love, will premiere this July at Anime Expo, followed by a global theatrical release this summer via distributor Abramorama. Tickets and theater information are now available on the film's website: https://www.cosplayuniversemovie.com/watch

Featuring the international stories of Yaya Han, Kamui Cosplay, World Cosplay Summit Organizer and academic Ed Hoff, Lauren of Castle Corsetry, Cynthia Tyler, Thomas De Petrillo and Qi Ma. The film includes one of the last interviews with the legendary Stan Lee. Cosplay Universe is the most comprehensive exploration of Cosplay to date.

Cosplay Universe celebrates the rise of the popular costuming sub-culture and explores its evolution as an art form and global community. The film was shot over six years, pre-pandemic, at conventions including Anime Expo, San Diego's Comic-Con, Atlanta's Dragon Con, Stan Lee's last L.A. Comic Con and World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan. The documentary dives into Cosplay and the psychology behind this art of self-expression, demonstrating how Cosplayers can transform their perceptions of themselves. Cosplay is seen as an avenue for gender exploration, and an inclusive community, including neurodivergent and disabled people.

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"While those outside the Cosplay community may view Cosplay as "playing dress-up," Cosplay has become so much more than that," shares co-director Jonathan McHugh. "It encourages self expression in a uniquely inspiring way. In addition, it allows people to have a creative avenue to discover parts of their identity they may have been unaware of before."

"By Cosplaying at conventions and on social media, the art form allows people to have remarkable transformational experiences," adds co-director Jordan Rennert. "We made this film as a tool for Cosplayers to help their friends and family understand what their love and this art form is all about."

"We're proud and excited to bring Cosplay Universe out into the world," says Abramorama's Evan Saxon. "It's a perfect example of the kind of tribal films we love to handle, one that we know the community will respond to enthusiastically and in great numbers."

The film highlights an overview of the World Cosplay Summit, where we follow the competition for gold between the Italian and Mexican teams. The story showcases the evolution of more comprehensive designs, as cosplayers create engineering feats, such as the 9-foot-tall Hulkbuster costume by Extreme Costumes.

"Cosplay Universe" was directed by Jonathan McHugh and Jordan Rennert, produced by Patrick Meaney and Jonathan Platt. McHugh is an independent filmmaker best known for his work on projects about some of music's biggest stars including Janis Joplin's documentary, "Janis: Little Girl Blue," Lionsgate's "Snoop Dogg's Hood Of Horror and Discovery's "Battle Ground Earth" with Ludacris & Motley Crue's Tommy Lee.

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Rennert and Meaney are acclaimed for their work in the comic book documentary space, where they have covered legends like Grant Morrison ("Talking With Gods"), Neil Gaiman ("Dream Dangerously"), and the origin story of Chris Claremont's "X-Men." They received numerous awards for their work in the comic community, including an acknowledgement for Best Documentary at the Comic-Con International Film Festival for "She Makes Comics."

For more information on the film, visit the website at www.cosplayuniversemovie.com or follow @cosplayuniversemovie on TikTok, @cosplayuniversefilm on Instagram, and @CosplayFilm on Twitter.

About Abramorama

Abramorama is the preeminent global media distribution and marketing company for nonfiction and music films. In its over 20 years of operation, Abramorama has been the trusted film partner to many of the most respected global brands in entertainment, including The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, National Geographic, Discovery, AARP, MSNBC, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, Sony, Concord Music Group, and many others. Through a powerful global network of cinemas, digital media outlets, and affinity marketing partners, Abramorama strategically implements a unified distribution and audience activation plan for each title. For more info visit: www.abramorama.com