Helena Bonham Carter Movie ‘The Offing’ Kicks Off Pre-Sales With Multi-Territory Deal
05.04.2023 - 07:01
/ variety.com
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Jan Mojto’s Beta Cinema has announced first pre-sales for feature film “The Offing,” which will star and is executive produced by Helena Bonham Carter. Jessica Hobbs, who won an Emmy Award for “The Crown,” directs the U.K.-set English-language project. Distributors Curzon, Cineart and Madman joined forces and acquired all rights for U.K./Ireland, Benelux, and Australia/New Zealand in a multi-territory deal, fending off robust competition. The project was one of the hottest titles at the European Film Market, and further deals in major territories will be announced shortly, Beta Cinema said.
“The Offing,” based on a bestselling novel by Benjamin Myers, is set in North-East England, shortly after the war. The story opens on Robert, 16, the shy, nature-loving son of a miner who sets out to see a little more of the world before he follows his father down the pit.
He meets Dulcie Piper, a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, bohemian recluse several times his age. Under her eccentric tutelage, his life opens up to food, girls and the transformative beauty of poetry as Dulcie recognizes a potential in Robert that he doesn’t yet see in himself. But while Dulcie’s cottage and garden by the sea are idyllic, this place holds a tragic secret about Dulcie’s great love. When Robert discovers the truth, his brave and tender friendship compels Dulcie to open her own heart and re-engage with the world. The screenplay is by Amy Roberts (“The Winter King,” “Call the Midwife”), based on Myers’ novel. Published by Bloomsbury in 2020, “The Offing” became one of the most successful novels that year, and was selected as an Observer Pick, A Times Book of the Year, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick, A Reading