Elephant Eye Stampedes Sundance Winner "Maid" for Autumn

A scene from Sebastian Silva's "La Nana" (The Maid). Image courtesy of Elephant Eye Films.

North American distribution rights to director Sebastian Silva's 2009 Sundance winner, "La Nana" (The Maid) have been acquired by Elephant Eye Films, the company's Kim Jose and David Robinson announced today. The film will make its theatrical premiere in the fall. Jose and Robinson negotiated the distribution deal with Sam Eigen from Shoreline Entertainment.

"Maid" is the story of Racquel (Catalina Saavedra) who has served as the maid for the Valdes family for 23 years. Neither truly a member of the family nor simply a servant, she inhabits a vague space somewhere in between. Threatened when the family decides to bring on extra help, Raquel engages in a series of increasingly desperate acts to hold on to her position in this insightful comedic drama about family, class, and self-discovery.

The film won the Dramatic World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, as well as a Special Jury Prize for Catalina Saavedra's performance at the Sundance Film Festival in January, as well as numerous awards at the 2009 Miami International Film Festival, the 2009 Fribourg International Film Festival, and the 2009 Guadalajara International Film Festival. Most recently "La Nana" screened to sold out audiences at New Directors/New Films.

"We are proud and thrilled to be working on Sebastian Silva's film," commented Jose in a statement. "Sebastian has a unique and beautiful way of telling a story- he is truly a new and exciting voice that expresses humor in the face of sadness quite effortlessly."