Samuel Goldwyn Has "Cold Souls"

“Cold Souls” producer/cinematographer Andrij Parekh, star Paul Giamatti and director Sophie Barthes on Main Street in Park City during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Peter Knegt.

Sophie Barthes' "Cold Souls," which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The distributor took all U.S. rights to the film, which stars Paul Giamatti, Emily Watson and David Strathairn. The film placed among the most well-received films at the festival, according to a poll conducted by indieWIRE

In the film, Giamatti, playing a variation of himself, decides to put his soul in "soul storage," a new experimental service touted in The New Yorker. He quickly discovers that living without a soul is not as satisfying as he had hoped, subsequently finding himself inolved in the little known world of black market "soul trading" between Russia and the United States.

"'Cold Souls' is a funny, smart, unusual and entertaining picture," said Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Chairman and CEO, Samuel Goldwyn Films, in a statement. "Paul Giamatti's performance is brilliant and Sophie is a remarkable director. We are thrilled to be working with such a talented team and look forward to bringing the film to audiences this summer."

Peter Goldwyn, Vice President of Acquisitions negotiated the deal with Sarah Lash of Cinetic on behalf of the producers. Charlotte Mickie from E1 Films International is handling foreign sales.

Goldwyn has slated a late summer release for the film.