– Sundance Selects has picked up the U.S. rights to the Marion Cotillard-starring “From the Land of the Moon.” Variety reports that “the sale was based on promotional footage shown at the Berlin Film Festival last month.” The film, directed by Nicole Garcia (who co-wrote the script alongside Jacques Fieschi) is based on the novel by Milena Agus, which “follows a French woman in post-World War II Europe who’s torn between the man she’s meant to marry (Àlex Brendemühl) and a charming war veteran (Louis Garrel).”
– Amazon has pre-emptively picked up the rights to Jill Soloway’s planned adaption of Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s bestselling debut novel “The Nest.” Sweeney will adapt the script herself, which centers on four adult siblings who are shocked to find that their long-expected inheritance has gone bye-bye. The news was first reported by Deadline.
– Emerging Pictures will release Valerie Weiss’ directorial debut, “A Light Beneath Their Feet,” in select theatrical markets across North America on May 6. The film stars Taryn Manning alongside Madison Davenport, Kurt Fuller, Nora Dunn, Kali Hawk, Maddie Hasson and Carter Jenkins. Billed as “emotionally raw and bracingly honest,” the film is a coming-of-age tale that tackles “the pull of family obligation against personal aspirations.” In the film, Manning plays Gloria, a mother who is juggling bipolar disorder and the imminent departure of her bright daughter, who is also struggling with her desire to break free and her obligation to care for her mom. The film screened at a number of film festivals in 2015, including Mill Valley, the Chicago International Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival.
– Music Box Films has picked up all U.S. rights to the Golden Globe nominee “The Brand New Testament,” a Belgian ensemble comedy that debuted at Cannes. The film, directed by Jaco Van Dormael, “whimsically reimagines God as a jerk living in Brussels and the daughter intent on saving humanity from him.” The distributor is planning a fall release for the delightfully off-kilter comedy.
– CAVU Pictures will release the award-winning documentary feature
film “Art Bastard” in theatres nationwide, beginning May 20 in
New York City, June 3 in
Los Angeles and Irvine, and June 10 in Washington, D.C. The
film will continue to expand nationwide throughout the summer. The film “is the mischievous tale of a
rebel who never fit into today’s art world…yet has become one of its most
provocative, rabble-rousing characters nevertheless. By turns funny and
touching, this portrait of New York painter Robert Cenedella –
a contemporary of Andy Warhol who set himself up in the ‘60s as the anti-Warhol
– uncovers a fascinating story of family secrets vs. personal identity, art vs.
money, and conventional success vs. creating a life on one’s own defiant
terms.”
– Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide rights to Slamdance winner “Buddymoon” (previously known as “Honey Buddies”), and plans to release “the bromantic comedy about a jilted groom and his best friend’s backpacking adventure” in theaters and On Demand on July 1.
– BOND/360 has kicked off its expansion into international distribution with the acquisition of worldwide rights for “Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story,” a documentary that follows the life of legendary alto sax player and Charlie Parker protégée Frank Morgan. The film chronicles Morgan’s profound musical ability, his rise in the industry and the hard personal times that threatened everything that was dear to him. After successful runs at IFC Center in New York and Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles, BOND/360 will launch the documentary internationally this year, with a focus on digital and broadcast in 2017.
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