EFM NEWS | Magnet Bucks a "Donkey Punch" for North America

North American rights to British thriller "Donkey Punch" have been acquired by Magnet Releasing, Magnolia Pictures' genre label. The film, directed by Olly Blackburn recently premiered at Sundance and will be released in the U.K. by Optimum Releasing this summer. Magnolia's SVP Tom Quinn and director of acquisitions Dori Begley, negotiated the deal with London-based Lumina Films' Samantha Holrley and Miles Ketley of Wiggin LLP. "Donkey" follows the travails of seven young adults who meet in a nightclub and decide to continue the party aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean. The fun is interrupted when one dies, leading to a ruthless fight for survival. The film is screening in the European Film Market currently underway in Berlin with Lumina handling international sales. [Brian Brooks]