Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Sony Pictures Classics has announced that they have acquired North American rights to Academy Award winner Taylor Hackford’s comedy, “The Comedian.” Written by Art Linson, the film stars Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Edie Falco, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito, Patti LuPone and Veronica Ferres.
The film follows “an aging comic icon, Jackie (Robert De Niro) [who] has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played. Already a strain on his younger brother (Danny DeVito) and his wife (Patti LuPone), Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony (Leslie Mann), the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul (Harvey Keitel), and the two find inspiration in one another resulting in surprising consequences.”
The film will have an awards qualifying run in 2016 and open officially in 2017.
– Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Gary and Edmund Entin’s new drama “Sins of Our Youth,” starring Lucas Till, Joel Courtney, Mitchel Musso and Alley Sheedy.
The film is billed as “a frightening tale of four teenagers who accidentally murder a younger boy while shooting off assault weapons recreationally and the perilous decisions they make in the wake of the murder. In a moment of desperation and fear that their lives are over, the youths construct a chilling plan reminiscent of a video game plot: they will hunt each other down until only one is left standing.”
Breaking Glass is planning a holiday release with a Los Angeles theatrical for December 2016 with DVD/VOD to follow late in the fourth quarter.
– First Run Features has announced the acquisition of Garrett Zevgetis’ documentary “Best and Most Beautiful Things,” a unique coming-of-age story. The film premiered to critical and audience acclaim at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival and is enjoying a very successful festival run, including receiving a Special Jury Award for Documentary Feature at Independent Film Festival Boston, Special Jury Award for Individuality of the Human Spirit at the Florida Film Festival, and Best of Festival Award from Superfest International Disability Film Festival.
Per the film’s official synopsis: “Set in rural Maine, the film follows a bright and magnetic 20-year-old woman named Michelle Smith who breaks free from isolation through a provocative sexual awakening. Legally blind and diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Michelle defies labels as she chases big dreams with humor and bold curiosity. Searching for community, Michelle explores romance and empowerment outside the limits of “normal.” Impressionistic visuals and sound design accompany this joyful story of self-discovery.”
First Run Features is planning a December 2016 theatrical release for the film.
– Virgil Films has announced that the company has acquired North American distribution rights to “Lost Cat Corona,” a new comedy about a regular guy having an extraordinarily bad day. The film, written and directed by Anthony Tarsitano and starring Ralph Macchio, will be released theatrically in the first quarter of 2017, to be followed by availability across all platforms.
The film follows “Dominic (Macchio), a hard-working, play-it-safe guy living in the Corona section of Queens, New York, just wants to relax on his day off. But he’s ordered by his distressed wife, Connie (Gershon), to go out and find their cat Leonard, who has suddenly disappeared. Exasperated and powerless to do anything but follow her orders, Dominic sets out to canvass his neighborhood, accompanied by his loudmouth buddy Ponce (David Zayas). He expects to conduct just a token search for the cat he has no great affection for, but he gets more than he bargained for when he runs into some of the nabe’s colorful, wacky – and outright dangerous – characters.”
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