Breaking Glass Pictures Picks Up ‘Sitting on the Edge of Marlene’

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Breaking Glass Pictures has picked up U.S. distribution rights to the emotionally-stirring “Sitting on the Edge of Marlene,” which deals with a multitude of contemporary social issues, from pill-popping and crime sprees to social welfare programs and first-world poverty. The film is Ana Valine’s directorial debut and is adapted from Billie Livingston’s 2010 young adult novel, “The Trouble with Marlene.”

The harrowing film tells the story of Sammie (Paloma Kwiatkowski), a young, fun-loving 16 year old as she deals with the dysfunction, necessity, and issues of being in a mother-daughter con artist team. As Sammie deals with a drug-addicted mother (Suzanne Clément), her father sits in prison, forcing the precocious teenager to resort to unsavory means of making ends meet. But when her father doesn’t show up after his prison release, Sammie and her mother Marlene become determined to find a lasting supportive relationship and financial stability.

The film was screened as the Busan International Film Festival, as well as the Vancouver International Film Festival, where the rising director took home the BC Emerging Filmmaker award.

“‘Sitting on the Edge of Marlene’ is a spectacular feather in the cap for Canadian filmmaking, it is a pleasure to bring interesting films like this to American audiences,” said Rich Wolff, Breaking Glass’ CEO, in an official statement.

The film is slated to be released on iTunes, Amazon Instant, and VOD in June 2016.

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