Strand Goes "Toe to Toe"

A scene from Emily Abt's "Toe to Toe."

In a second pick up announcement this week, Strand Releasing confirmed its acquisition of U.S. rights to Emily Abt's Sundance '09 competition film, "Toe to Toe." Strand's Jon Gerrans negotiated the pact with Rena Ronson of William Morris Independent.

Strand plans an early 2010 release of "Toe to Toe," which was produced by Abt of Pureland Pictures, Inc. and Susan Leber of Suzie Q Productions.

The film is a story of the friendship and rivalry between lacrosse mates Tosha and Jesse, two senior girls at a competitive Washington, D.C., prep school. Tosha is an African American scholarship student from Anacostia, one of Washington`s poorest areas, while Jesse is a troubled and promiscuous white girl from the ritzy suburbs of Maryland. The two forge a close and genuine bond on the field, but their friendship unravels as they navigate through race and class related obstacles. When Jesse and Tosha discover that they've both been dating the same boy, the conflict becomes explosive.