The film directed by Rachel Lambert will have a theatrical release later this year.
2023 Sundance is behind us, and mega deals for films like “Fair Play,” “Flora and Son,” and “Theater Camp” were back in a big way. And while the market was healthy, there still are a lot of films yet to find homes.
Here’s the latest deals we’re tracking after the festival.
Films Acquired After the Festival
Title: “Sometimes I Think About Dying”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Oscilloscope
“Sometimes I Think About Dying,” the Daisy Ridley drama that made its premiere in competition on the opening night of this year’s Sundance, was acquired by Oscilloscope for a theatrical release. O-Scope scooped up the U.S. rights to director Rachel Lambert’s film and will release it later this year.
The film is set on the dreary Oregon coast and follows a lonely woman who finds solace in her cubicle and the doldrums of office life. She is ghosting through life until she meets a co-worker persistent about making a connection with her. O-Scope in its announcement describes the film as “an unexpected fable on the virtues of living.”
Dave Merheje stars as the male lead alongside Ridley, and the film also stars Parvesh Cheena, Marcia Debonis, Meg Stalter, and Brittany O’Grady. “Sometimes I Think About Dying” was written by Kevin Armento, Stefanie Abel Horowitz, and Katy Wright-Mead. Ridley also produced the film alongside Alex Saks, Dori Rath, Lauren Beveridge, and Brett Beveridge. The deal was negotiated with CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.
Title: “The Pod Generation”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment
Sophia Barthes’ futuristic fable “The Pod Generation” starring Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor has landed with Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment. The distributors acquired the North American rights to the film and will release it theatrically later this summer.
Barthes’ (“Madame Bovary,” “Cold Souls”) film, which is based on her own original screenplay, is set in a future where AI has become all the rage and lucky couples can now get pregnant through mobile, artificial wombs called pods. The film follows a New York couple looking to start a family despite the doubts of the couple’s husband. “The Pod Generation” also stars Rosalie Craig, Vinette Robinson, and Jean-Marc Barr.
The film is produced by Geneviève Lemal, Yann Zenou, Nadia Kamlichi, and Martin Metz. Executive producers are Clarke, Barthes, David Bensadoun, Paul Nelson, Adrian Politowski, Nessa McGill, Sierra Garcia, Nathanaël Karmitz, and Beniamin Mincu. Jarowey and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical; Cohen, d’Arbeloff and Vice President of Acquisitions Angel An negotiated the deal on behalf of Roadside Attractions; and CAA Media Finance together with MK2 Films negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
Title: “Eileen”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Neon
In Neon’s only big splash out of Sundance, the distributor acquired William Oldroyd’s darkly romantic drama and thriller “Eileen” starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. Neon plans to release it in theaters this fall.
Set during a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret — throwing Eileen onto a sinister path.
“Eileen” also stars Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, and Owen Teague, and the film is based on a 2015 debut novel by Ottessa Moshfegh. Moshfegh co-wrote the screenplay alongside Luke Goebel. The film was produced by Fifth Season, Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman, Stefanie Azpiazu, and Peter Cron, along with Goebel and Moshfegh’s Omniscient Productions, William Oldroyd, and with backing from Film4.
The deal was negotiated by Jeff Deutchman for NEON, WME Independent and Fifth Season.
Title: “Shortcomings”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed the worldwide rights to “Shortcomings,” the feature directorial debut of Randall Park, making it the indie distributor’s fourth acquisition from this year’s Sundance.
Park’s film is an adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name by Adrian Tomine and offers a fresh perspective on the Asian American experience. The film follows a struggling filmmaker living in Berkeley, California with his girlfriend, only for him to examine what he really wants out of life when his girlfriend moves to New York.
Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, and Ally Maki star in “Shortcomings” alongside a cast that also includes Tavi Gevinson, Debby Ryan, Sonoya Mizuno, Timothy Simons, and Jacob Batalon. Park wrote, directed, and produced the film.
Hieu Ho and Michael Golamco also produced for Park’s Imminent Collision banner. Other producers include Margot Hand for Picture Films and Howard Cohen, Eric d’Arbeloff, and Jennifer Berman for Roadside Attractions. Executive producers are Ryan Heller, Michael Bloom, Jennifer Semler, and Maria Zuckerman for Topic Studios; Tim Headington, Lia Buman, Max Silva and Neil Shah for Tango; Ryan Paine, also for Roadside Attractions, and Daniel Hank.
No release date has been announced. Sony Pictures Classics now walks away from Sundance with “The Persian Version” and “Shayda,” both of which won the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic and World Cinema Dramatic competitions, respectively. SPC also acquired Angus MacLachlan’s “A Little Prayer.”
UTA and WME brokered the deal.
Title: “Scrapper”
Section: World Cinema Dramatic
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to “Scrapper,” the debut film from Charlotte Regan that won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition. Harris Dickinson (“Triangle of Sadness”) and newcomer Lola Campbell star in this father-daughter comedy.
Campbell plays a dreamy 12-year-old girl who lives alone in her London flat, filling it with magic after the death of her mother. Out of nowhere, her estranged father Jason (Dickinson) arrives and forces her to confront reality.
“Scrapper” will have a theatrical release later this year, as well as a digital and home video release, all after it plays as the opening night film at the upcoming Sundance London.
Scrapper is a DMC Film production, financed by BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, BBC Film and Great Point Media. It was developed with the support of Creative England and the iFeatures scheme, and with the assistance of BFI and BBC Film. The film is produced by Theo Barrowclough and executive produced by Eva Yates, Farhana Bhula, Michael Fassbender, Conor McCaughan, Daniel Emmerson and Jim Reeve.
The deal was brokered by Kino Lorber Senior Vice President Wendy Lidell with Anonymous Content and Charades.
Courtesy of PR
Title: “Divinity”
Section: NEXT
Distributor: Utopia and Sumerian
“Divinity,” Eddie Alcazar’s surreal and mind-bending sci-fi film that played in the NEXT section out of Sundance, was acquired in a worldwide deal by distributor Utopia and entertainment company known for its music and comics called Sumerian. Utopia is planning an exclusive theatrical release this fall with an opening date soon to be announced.
Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, “Divinity” is the story about an inventor who develops a revolutionary immortality serum but follows Stephen Dorff as the inventor’s son who has manufactured the serum into a miracle drug called “Divinity” sold en masse. The drug however has a sinister side effect, leading two mysterious alien brothers to land on Earth in an effort to abduct the mogul and save the planet in a quest for true immortality.
“Divinity” also stars Moises Arias, Jason Genao, Michael O’Hearn, Karrueche Tran, and Emily Willis, with Scott Bakula, and Bella Thorne.
The “Divinity” acquisition was the first film deal of its kind for Sumerian, which this year will launch a streaming division and VOD platform for film and music lovers.
The deal was negotiated by CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers and Danielle DiGiacomo and Ryan Anthony Menge on behalf of Utopia and Sumerian.
Title: “Magazine Dreams”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures has closed a deal on the worldwide rights to “Magazine Dreams,” Elijah Bynum’s intense drama that stars Jonathan Majors in an Oscar-caliber lead role. Though it wasn’t one of the classic late-night bidding wars, several buyers were in the mix for the buzzy film.
Majors in “Magazine Dreams” plays a reclusive and socially awkward amateur bodybuilder with ambitions of fame and recognition flexing on a magazine cover. The film however earned comparisons to Martin Scorsese classics like “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy” for its character’s sobering spiral, with the film taking some truly dark and bloody turns.
The film played in the U.S. Dramatic competition out of Sundance, where it picked up the Jury Award for Creative Vision, and was the center of some unfortunate controversy when the Sundance competition jury walked out of its premiere screening over a closed captioning issue, prompting the jury to ask other filmmakers to show their movies with open captions if available.
Majors also stars alongside Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Harrison Page, Michael O’Hearn, and Harriet Sansom Harris. Jennifer Fox, Dan Gilroy, Simon Horsman, and Jeffrey Soros produced the film, with Majors executive producing. CAA brokered the deal.
Searchlight dated the film for a December 8 theatrical release.
Title: “Shayda”
Section: World Cinema Dramatic
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
“Shayda” is not only the winner of the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition out of Sundance, but it is also executive produced by Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films and stars Cannes’ Best Actress winner from last year Zar Amir Ebrahimi, leading Sony Pictures Classics to swoop in and acquire the film’s North American rights, as well as other territories.
“Shayda” follows the title Iranian woman living in Australia who finds refuge in a women’s shelter with her 6-year-old daughter, Mona. Having fled her husband, Hossein, and filed for divorce, Shayda struggles to maintain normalcy and create a new home for Mona. Buoyed by the approach of Nowruz (Persian New Year), Shayda tries to forge a fresh start with new and unfettered freedoms. But when a judge grants Hossein visitation rights, he reenters their life, fueling Shayda’s apprehension that he’ll attempt to take Mona back to Iran.
Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari directed and wrote the film based on her own personal experiences and made her debut with the project out of Sundance. “Shayda” is an Origma 45 production, and was produced by Vincent Sheehan and Niasari in association with Dirty Films, Parandeh Pictures, and The 51 Fund.
The deal was negotiated with United Talent Agency. HanWay Films will be selling the remaining international territories and screening SHAYDA to buyers in the upcoming EFM. Metropolitan have come on board as the French distributor. Local distribution in Australia and New Zealand will be handled by Madman Entertainment. Niasari is represented at United Talent Agency and Granderson Des Rochers, LLP.
Title: “The Starling Girl”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Bleecker Street
In the latest deal to close post-Sundance, Bleecker Street acquired the North American rights to another U.S. Dramatic title, writer-director Laurel Parmet’s feature directorial debut, “The Starling Girl.” The film stars Eliza Scanlen (“Little Women,” “Sharp Objects”) as a 17-year-old girl who struggles to define her place within her fundamentalist Christian community in rural Kentucky. Even her greatest joy — the church dance group — is tempered by worry that her love of dance is actually sinful. The film shows her grappling with her own sexuality and her mom’s urging that she begin courting.
Scanlen stars alongside Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt, and Austin Abrams. David Ehrlich in his IndieWire review called the film “a sensitive and devilishly detailed coming-of-age drama.”
Bleecker Street is planning to release “The Starling Girl” theatrically later this year. The film is produced by Kevin Rowe and Kara Durrett. Executive Producers include Jessamine Burgum, Will Greenfield, Douglas Choi, Martina Bassenger, Chris Stolte, Heidi Stolte, William Reedy, Emily Reedy and David Hinojosa.
The deal was negotiated by Miranda King and Avy Eschenasy on behalf of Bleecker Street and UTA Independent Film Group and WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers.
Title: “The Persian Version”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics won the North American rights to “The Persian Version,” which won the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic competition out of Sundance.
Written, directed, and produced by Maryam Keshavarz, “The Persian Version” is a colorful and pop-music inflected film about an Iranian-American woman named Leila who is striving to find the balance between her two different cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. But we soon find that her double life is not all that different from her mother’s.
The film received a standing ovation upon its premiere at Sundance, and Keshavarz’ film also won The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.
“The Persian Version” was produced by Keshavarz for Marakesh Films, Anne Carey for Archer Gray Productions, Ben Howe and Luca Borghese for AGX, and Peter Block and Cory Neal for A Bigger Boat. It stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, Chiara Stella, Tom Byrne, and Shervin Alenabi.
UTA Independent Film Group represented US rights with Stage 6 Films. Keshavarz is represented by UTA, Anne Damato, and Victoria Cook at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
Films Acquired During the Festival
Title: “Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV”
Section: U.S. Documentary
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment/PBS Films
In another documentary sale to close on the tail end of the festival, Greenwich Entertainment acquired all rights (excluding TV) to “Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV,” which is directed and produced by Amanda Kim and played in the U.S. Documentary competition.
The film tells the story of Nam June Paik, widely regarded as “The George Washington of Video Art,” a pillar of the American avant-garde in the 20th century, the coiner of the phrase “Electronic Superhighway,” and arguably the most famous Korean artist in modern history. The documentary charts Paik’s artistic evolution, from his formative education in Munich, through his rise in the New York art scene, and his Nostradamus-like visions of a future in which “everybody will have his own TV channel.” Thanks to social media, Paik’s future is now our present, and “Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV” shows us how we got here.
The film will begin its U.S. theatrical release at Film Forum in New York on March 24, 2023 before its exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere on American Masters on PBS. Films We Like has acquired Canadian rights and will release the film theatrically simultaneously with Greenwich. Dogwoof previously acquired UK distribution rights and international sales rights, excluding Korea. A Korean distribution deal and streaming (SVOD) partner will be announced shortly.
The deals were negotiated by David Koh of Curatorial, on behalf of the filmmaker and producers along with Ed Arentz, Co-President of Greenwich Entertainment, Michael Kantor of American Masters Pictures, and Ron Mann of Films We Like.
Title: “The Eternal Memory”
Section: World Cinema Documentary
Distributor: MTV Documentary Films
MTV Documentary Films on Friday, January 27 acquired worldwide rights to “The Mole Agent” director Maite Alberdi’s latest film, “The Eternal Memory.” MTV is planning a theatrical release for the movie along with a “robust awards campaign” to hopefully land Alberdi another Oscar nomination after “The Mole Agent” managed the same.
“The Eternal Memory” tells the story of a couple that’s been together for 25 years, eight of which have involved the husband being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Augusto, the man suffering from Alzheimer’s, is also one of Chile’s most prominent cultural commentators and television producers known for covering the Pinochet dictatorship. And the film shows how he tries to build an archive of his own memory, preserve his identity, and keep the bond between him and his partner intact.
The film was produced by Maite Alberdi, Juan De Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, and Rocío Jadue. It is executive produced by Marcela Santibañez, Daniela Sandoval, Nicholas Hooper, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Chandra Jessee and Rebecca Lichtenfeld.
“The Eternal Memory” is a Micromundo and Fabula production. Submarine and United Talent Agency Independent Film Group brokered the deal with MTV Documentary Films on behalf of the filmmakers. UTA also represents Maite Alberdi.
Title: “Talk to Me”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: A24
Turns out A24 didn’t have enough movies at this year’s Sundance. An individual with knowledge told IndieWire the distributor is nearing a deal for the North American rights to “Talk to Me,” the film from twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, better known as Australian YouTubers RackaRacka. The film premiered in the Midnight section at Sundance and is about a new party craze among teenagers that involves performing séances with the dead. But when one teen who recently lost her mother performs her own séance that goes wrong, the boundaries between the living and the dead slowly begin to close in on her, forcing her to act before its irreversible.
Variety reported that A24 acquired the film in a high seven-figure deal, and it’s expected to have a theatrical release some time this summer.
Bankside Films brokered the deal.
Title: “A Little Prayer”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics got into the buying frenzy on Tuesday, January 24 by acquiring “A Little Prayer,” the latest film from “Junebug” scribe Angus MacLachlan, an individual with knowledge told IndieWire. Jane Levy, David Strathairn, Will Pullen, Anna Camp, and Celia Weston star in this family drama set in a small town in North Carolina that explores the relationship a father (Strathairn) and his daughter in-law (Levy) and how it’s strained when he discovers his son (Pullen) is having an affair.
SPC picked up “A Little Prayer” out of the Premieres section of the festival within 24 hours of its debut at The Ray Theatre on Monday. SPC confirmed on Jan. 27 it had acquired the worldwide rights to the film. No release plans were outlined.
WME Independent handled the sale.
Title: “Passages”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: MUBI
The art house streamer, distributor and production house MUBI on January 24 acquired the US, UK, Ireland, and Latin America rights to Ira Sachs’ “Passages,” a drama starring Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Ben Whishaw. The film is a personal story for Sachs and follows a filmmaker (Rogowski) who cheats on his husband (Whishaw) with a woman, only to become enflamed with jealousy once his husband pursues his own new relationship.
Following an international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section next month, MUBI will release “Passages” theatrically later this year.
“Passages” is Sachs’ eighth feature, not to mention his sixth feature to debut at Sundance. This one has Saïd Ben Saïd (“Elle,” “Bacarau”) and Michel Merkt (“Toni Erdmann”) as producers, and IndieWire called the film “raw and resonant” in its review out of the festival.
WME Independent and SBS International brokered the deal with MUBI. Sachs is repped by WME and Fusion Entertainment.
Title: “Flora and Son”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Apple TV+
Apple on Jan. 24 acquired the worldwide rights in a competitive situation to John Carney’s musical romance and comedy “Flora and Son” out of Sundance in a deal that an individual with knowledge says is in the high eight figures, with some reports saying it reached as high as $20 million.
“Flora and Son” is about a mother (Eve Hewson) in Ireland who bonds more deeply with her troubled son (Orén Kinlan) over their shared love of a guitar. She takes lessons over Zoom from an instructor played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who’s half a world away.
“Once” was a global box office success in 2007 and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.” Since then director John Carney has carved out a unique path as a storyteller of small character studies, often with a musical flavor. For his first feature since 2016’s “Sing Street,” Carney assembled Hewson, Gordon-Levitt, and Jack Reynor to tell another story of how music can change people’s lives in “Flora and Son.”
Apple made a splash in 2021 by acquiring the Sundance audience and jury prize winner “CODA” for $25 million, and that paid off with a Best Picture win. Last year it acquired what became the next Audience Award winner, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” for $15 million.
WME, Fifth Season, and Film Nation co-repped the sale.
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Title: “Theater Camp”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Searchlight
In one of the larger deals for a theatrical release so far, Searchlight bought “Theater Camp” on Jan. 23, the distributor announced, and according to a source even beat out multiple bidders, including streamers. The deal was in the high seven-figures range, an individual with knowledge told IndieWire. The directorial debut of Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, the film stars Ben Platt, Jimmy Tatro, Noah Galvin, Patti Harrison, Owen Thiele, and Gordon herself. The film is a love letter to drama teachers and the unique vibe of theater education which anyone knows can veer toward the delightfully bizarre quite quickly.
Gordon and Lieberman acknowledged “Waiting for Guffman” and the parody-covers collection “Forbidden Broadway” as influences on their film, which takes the form of a mockumentary.
Searchlight, which will release the film theatrically and will announce release plans at a later date, is clearly hoping for another mainstream crossover comedy success, in the mold of “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” which the studio steered to massive hits when it was still Fox Searchlight.
WME Independent brokered the deal.
Title: “Fair Play”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Netflix
In the first major, big money deal of the festival, Netflix is nearing the global rights to “Fair Play,” an individual with knowledge told IndieWire, and which IndieWire has learned is in the range of $20 million. The erotic, psychological thriller from director Chloe Domont played in the U.S. Dramatic competition. It stars Alden Ehrenreich and “Bridgerton” actress Phoebe Dynevor, as well as Eddie Masran and Rich Sommer. The film is about a couple that keeps their relationship secret while working for a ruthless and cutthroat hedge fund.
As many as seven distributors reportedly bid on the rights to “Fair Play,” with Searchlight and Neon being among them. MRC is the studio behind the film and also handled the sales rights.
“Fair Play” boasts Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman from T-Street as executive producers, and the film is the first in a deal between T-Street and MRC that backs films with emerging talent. Domont has cut her teeth directing episodes of “Billions,” “Suits,” and “Ballers.”
Title: “Kokomo City”
Section: NEXT
Distributor: Magnolia
Magnolia has been active, as following the theatrical pickup of “Little Richard: I Am Everything” earlier in the fest, the indie distributor staged an all-night negotiation to acquire worldwide rights to “Kokomo City,” the directorial debut of Grammy-nominated producer and singer D. Smith.
Smith, a trans performer also known for “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta,” directed, wrote and edited this documentary shot in all black and white and playing in the NEXT section about four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City who fight to break down the walls of their profession.
Lena Waithe is among the executive producers on the film, and Magnolia will release it later this year following a screening at Berlin Panorama. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal with Magnolia.
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Title: “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
Section: U.S. Documentary
Distributor: Magnolia/CNN Films
Though it originally sat with CNN Films, Magnolia has acquired the worldwide theatrical rights to distribute “Little Richard: I Am Everything” and will release the film in domestic theaters this April. And Magnolia will also rep international sales rights on the title at EFM later this year. The film will still air on CNN later this year following its theatrical run.
Lisa Cortés (“Precious,” “All In: The Fight for Democracy”) directs this documentary about the rock icon Little Richard but approaches his legacy in the context of Blackness and queerness, as well as his own personal identity as it relates to his faith and Christianity. It also boasts Dee Rees as an executive producer and was produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment for CNN Films and HBO Max, in association with Rolling Stone Films.
“I Am Everything” is a Day One movie at Sundance, but it’s also one of six of the final long-form movies to come out of CNN Films that were commissioned from outside producers and filmmakers.
Title: “Run Rabbit Run”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: Netflix
“Succession” actress Sarah Snook stars in this Midnight title from director Daina Reed, known for “The Shining Girls” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The film is a thriller and horror movie about a fertility doctor who believes firmly in life and death, but after noticing the strange behavior of her young daughter, must challenge her own values and confront a ghost from her past. The film was shot on location in Melbourne, Australia and other parts of the country. Hannah Kent (“The Good People,” “Devotion”) wrote the screenplay.
Netflix picked up worldwide rights (excluding Benelux, Portugal, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Nordics and Taiwan) to “Run Rabbit Run” on Thursday as the festival was kicking off and will release it later in 2023. XYZ Films co-financed the title, handled international sales, and brokered the deal with Netflix.
Title: “In My Mother’s Skin”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: Amazon Prime Video
Amazon hours before Sundance kicked off acquired “In My Mother’s Skin,” the only Filipino film playing in the festival and the only international feature playing in the Midnight section. “In My Mother’s Skin” is the second feature from director Kenneth Dagatan, who previously directed 2018’s “Ma.” “In My Mother’s Skin” is set in 1945 in the Philippines and explores how a young girl’s duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy. The film stars Beauty Gonzalez, Felicity Kyle Napuli, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, and Angeli Bayani.
“This is truly a moment for Filipino filmmakers to be seen by the international audience, and I hope this opens doors for more Filipino content to be watched by the rest of the world,” Dagatan said in part in an official statement.
Amazon Prime Video acquired global rights to the title and plans to release “In My Mother’s Skin” by the end of 2023.
Courtesy of Les Films Velvet/George Lechaptois
Films Acquired Ahead of the Festival
Title: “Other People’s Children”
Section: Spotlight
Distributor: Music Box Films
Music Box Films on Tuesday, January 10 acquired the U.S. rights to Rebecca Zlotowski’s family drama “Other People’s Children,” which first premiered at Venice in competition and will make its U.S. premiere at Sundance on January 20. The film stars Virginie Efira, Roschdy Zem, and Chiara Mastroianni, and IndieWire out of Venice called it “delightfully French” and praised Efira’s performance. She plays a high school teacher who falls in love with a man and soon grows a close bond to his 4-year-old daughter, making her grapple with her own ambitions with motherhood.
Music Box Films is planning a release for “Other People’s Children” in theaters and on home entertainment platforms this spring.
Title: “Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)”
Section: Spotlight
Distributor: Utopia
Anton Corbijn (“Control,” “The American”) gets back to his rock music history roots by telling the stories of some of the most famous album cover artwork ever, all of it spawning from the art design studio Hipgnosis. Corbijn interviews talent like Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, and Jimmy Page to tell the stories of albums such as Wings’ “Band on the Run,” Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” in a film that should be catnip for classic rock heads.
“Squaring the Circle” first made its premiere at Telluride 2022 and will play in the Spotlight section of the festival. Utopia, which acquired the movie on Jan. 6, is planning a summer release.
Title: “Joyland”
Section: Spotlight
Distributor: Oscilloscope
Malala Yousafzai and Ramin Bahrani both executive produce this film that was the first Pakistani movie to ever premiere at Cannes. “Joyland” is directed and written by Saim Sadiq and is the story of a young man as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque show, only to fall in love with a trans woman who leads the show.
Oscilloscope acquired “Joyland” on Jan. 6 and will release it theatrically later this year.
Title: “My Animal”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: Paramount
“My Animal” is a horror movie and romance starring Bobbi Salvör Menuez (“Under the Silver Lake”) and Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”) as two teens in a small town who fall for each other, only for one girl’s growing desires to slowly clash with her darker animal instincts within (translation: she’s a werewolf). Director Jacqueline Castel has collaborated with everyone from John Carpenter, Jim Jarmusch, and David Lynch and should be able to go beyond the traditional genre beats. Jae Matthews (“The Runner”) wrote the script.
Paramount Worldwide Acquisition Group picked up the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) to “My Animal” ahead of the festival, though whether the film will be theatrical, released through Paramount+, or another channel has yet to be determined.
Title: “The Deepest Breath”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Netflix
From “Free Solo” to free diving. Irish filmmaker Laura McGann directs this documentary about a champion freediver training to break a world record with the help of an expert safety diver. The film explores not just the silent depths of the ocean but the depths of the emotional bond formed between the two divers.
Netflix collaborated on “The Deepest Breath” with A24 alongside Motive Films, Ventureland, and RAW, the latter of which was behind Netflix’s documentary hit “The Tinder Swindler.”
Jon Pack
Films Arriving with Distribution
Title: “Past Lives”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: A24
This South Korean romance is the debut feature from playwright Celine Song (“Endlings”) and spreads out over three generations of bonding and missed connections. The film stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magar0, and A24 will release the film following its Sundance premiere.
Title: “Earth Mama”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: A24
Another A24 film and another first time director, “Earth Mama” follows a pregnant single mother, with two children in foster care, who embraces her Bay Area community as she fights to reclaim her family. Savannah Leaf wrote and directed the film, her first feature after having won awards for her documentary short “The Heart Still Hums” and even earning a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video for directing Gary Clark Jr.’s “This Land.”
Title: “Stephen Curry: Underrated”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Apple TV+
“Underrated” is a documentary about Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry that explores through a combination of cinéma vérité, archival footage, and interviews how Curry went from being a low rated, undersized college kid at a Division I school to rising to be a 4-time NBA champ. Ryan Coogler produces and Peter Nicks (“The Waiting Room,” “Homeroom”) directs this film that will debut on Apple TV+ later this year through its partnership with A24. “Underrated” was a late addition to the Sundance lineup in the Premieres section.
Title: “Infinity Pool”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: Neon and Topic
Brandon Cronenberg, son to David Cronenberg, makes his return to Sundance with his follow-up to “Possessor.” Early buzz suggests that he delivers. This Midnight title stars Alexander Skarsgard and Mia Goth and follows a couple on an all-inclusive resort vacation that reveals a perverse subculture of surreal horrors and hedonistic tourism after a fatal accident.
Neon and Topic came into the festival with the rights for “Infinity Pool” and promptly released a twisted and surreal trailer, and the film will now open January 27.
Title: “Still: A Michael J. Fox Story”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Apple TV+
Davis Guggenheim’s first documentary feature in seven years follows “Back to the Future” icon Michael J. Fox in a film that charts this Canadian kid’s meteoric rise to stardom and how his life was altered by his Parkinson’s diagnosis at age 29. Guggenheim’s telling of Fox’s story is described via the festival’s description as a playful and humorous account of an “eternal optimist” dealing with the unthinkable.
Apple TV+ is releasing “Still” and acquired the rights to it back in April.
Title: “Landscape with Invisible Hand”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: MGM
Director Cory Finley (“Thoroughbreds,” “Bad Education”) makes his return to Sundance with an adaptation of M.T. Anderson’s National Book Award winner. It’s a darkly comedic sci-fi and coming-of-age story about two teenagers who have to livestream their courtship to curious alien invaders as a means of making money and scraping by an existence after the advanced alien technology has made all but the wealthiest humans obsolete.
MGM’s United Artists Releasing is distributing the film backed by Annapurna and Brad Pitt’s Plan B, and it also stars Tiffany Haddish, Michael Gandolfini, William Jackson Harper, and Clifton Collins Jr.
courtesy of Sundance Institute/A24
Title: “You Hurt My Feelings”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: A24
Julia Louis-Dreyfus reunites with her “Enough Said” director Nicole Holofcener for this dramedy about a successful New York novelist who is offended and devastated to learn that her husband of decades doesn’t like her latest novel. The film has a rare comedic turn for Tobias Menzies and also stars Michaela Watkins and Arian Moyaed. A24 is distributing the film.
Title: “Cassandro”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Amazon Prime Video
Gael García Bernal stars as a gay luchador tired of losing and tired of hiding behind a mask during his wrestling matches who manages to break barriers within the lucha libre circuit by developing an eccentric “exótico” character that takes crowds by storm. Roger Ross Williams, who is best known for his documentary “Life, Animated” that played at Sundance in 2016, is making his narrative feature debut on “Cassandro.” Amazon Prime Video is releasing the film.
Title: “Judy Blume Forever”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Amazon Prime Video
Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok (“Very Semi-Serious”) co-direct this documentary about one of literature’s most influential children’s authors, Judy Blume. In addition to profiling the author, it also shows fans who share heartfelt letters that they wrote to the author over the years.
Amazon Prime Video is releasing the film that is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Documentaries.
Title: “L’immensita”
Section: Spotlight
Distributor: Music Box Films
Penélope Cruz stars in this ’70s period drama set in Rome as a mother who forms a deeper bond with her teenage child who is just beginning to discover their transgender identity. The film is the first movie from Italian director Emanuele Crialese in 11 years, and early reviews have praised Cruz’s performance and its Italian pop music soundtrack.
Music Box Films is releasing “L’immensita” in the U.S., while Warner Bros. Italy has the Italian distribution rights. It first made its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Title: “A Thousand and One”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: Focus Features
Those in Sundance circles have long anticipated “A Thousand and One,” which is the feature debut of a Sundance Lab alumnus A.V. Rockwell. The film is about a mother bouncing around from shelter to shelter in ‘90s New York who kidnaps her own 6-year-old son from a foster home and attempts to build a new life together. The film spans years and is hyped to feature a star-making turn from the musician and singer Teyana Taylor.
Focus Features has already set a theatrical release date for March 31, 2023 for the film.
Searchlight Pictures
Title: “Rye Lane”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Though it’s in the splashier Premieres section, “Rye Lane” is an under-the-radar feature directorial debut of UK filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller and is a rom-com about two 20-somethings who pair up and cavort around London after they each have to confront some awkward recent break-ups. Searchlight Pictures is releasing.
Title: “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Distributor: A24
“All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” is the feature directorial debut of poet Raven Jackson, who manages to bend the cinematic medium in surprisingly poetic and lyrical ways. The film spans decades in charting the growth, loves, and heartbreaks of a Black woman in Mississippi from her childhood to adult years.
The film is one of two movies A24 is bringing to Sundance, but this one has the backing of Barry Jenkins and his Pastel banner.
Title: “The Amazing Maurice”
Section: Kids
Distributor: Sky Cinema/Viva Kids
The animated “The Amazing Maurice” is based on a book by the same name and follows a street-smart cat who along with a gang of rats develops a moneymaking scheme.
Toby Genkel directs, and Emilia Jones, Hugh Laurie, Himesh Patel, and Gemma Arterton make up the voice cast. The Sky Original will hit theaters in the U.S. on February 3 via distributor Viva Kids.
Title: “The Eight Mountains”
Section: Spotlight
Distributor: Sideshow Releasing and Janus Films
Felix van Groeningen (“Beautiful Boy”) and Charlotte Vandermeersch, both Sundance alums, direct this drama that’s set in Italy and is based on a novel about a boy from the city visiting a tiny mountain village over the summer.
Sideshow Releasing and Janus Films acquired “The Eight Mountains” after it won the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Title: “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: ABC News on Hulu
Named for her breakout role when she was just 12, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” has been described as a revealing and critical documentary about a teen model and icon. Lana Wilson, who most recently got some intimate details out of Taylor Swift for her doc “Miss Americana,” directs the film.
The two-part documentary will air on Hulu via ABC News.
Title: “20 Days in Mariupol”
Section: World Cinema Documentary
Distributor: Frontline/PBS
A timely news documentary about the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Ukrainian filmmaker and AP News video journalist Mstyslav Chernov was up close and personal during the early days of the attacks on the city of Mariupol as one of the last international journalists to flee the country. Some of Chernov’s footage should already be familiar around the world and in some cases has directly refuted Russian misinformation.
“20 Days in Mariupol” is part of a larger editorial collaboration between Frontline and AP, and the film will be released by PBS Distribution following its Sundance premiere.
Title: “birth/rebirth”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: Shudder
A new take on the classic Frankenstein story, “birth/rebirth” is about a single mother and a mortician who form a bond after they manage to re-animate a 6-year-old girl from the dead. The psychological horror film is directed by Laura Moss, and it stars Marin Ireland, A.J. Lister, and the young Judy Reyes in a breakout turn.
“birth/rebirth” is a Shudder original film that only kicked off production in September of this year, and the horror streamer will release it in North America in 2023.
Title: “Murder in Big Horn”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Showtime
Sundance will present all three episodes of this Showtime docuseries in which each episode explores the missing person case of an Indigenous woman or girl who has disappeared from a reservation in the Big Horn region of Montana. Each episode is told from the perspective of the Native families and journalists involved in the case and who are still grieving. Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin direct the series.
Focus Features
Title: “Polite Society”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: Focus Features
A different kind of Midnight movie, “Polite Society” is a mashup of comedy, horror, and martial arts movie and is also the feature directorial debut of “We Are Lady Parts” creator Nida Manzoor. The film follows an Indian girl who stages an elaborate heist in order to save her older sister from her upcoming marriage.
Focus Features will release “Polite Society” in theaters on April 28, 2023.
Title: “Victim/Suspect”
Section: U.S. Documentary
Distributor: Netflix
Nancy Schwartzman directs this documentary about a journalist investigating numerous cases of women reporting sexual assault to the police who are then accused of fabricating their stories and are charged with crimes of their own.
Netflix partnered on the feature with the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Title: “The Stroll”
Section: U.S. Documentary
Distributor: HBO
“The Stroll” takes audiences back to New York in the 1990s and tells the history of the city’s Meatpacking District, specifically from the perspective of transgender sex workers. Its co-director Kristen Lovell walked the streets in that time herself and is a long-time trans activist able to bring an intimate, personal touch to the film.
HBO Documentaries will air the film both on HBO and on HBO Max following its Sundance premiere.
Additional reporting by Christian Blauvelt.
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