IFC Films Buys Rom-Com ‘Four Samosas’ (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: IFC Films has acquired North American rights to The Almond and the Seahorse, prior to the film making its World Premiere at the Zurich Film Festival. The film stars Rebel Wilson in her first dramatic role. Directed by BAFTA winner Celyn Jones (Six Minutes To Midnight) and BAFTA nominee Tom Stern, the film also stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Trine Dyrholm, Meera Syal and Celyn Jones. Script is by Jones and playwright Kaite O’Reilly, based on the play by the latter.

Brent Lang Executive Editor RLJE Films has acquired “Nocebo,” a thriller starring Eva Green and Mark Strong. The film will open in theaters on Nov. 4 and on-demand and digitally on Nov. 22. Shudder will release the film in 2023. Both RLJE and Shudder are business units of AMC Networks Shudder focuses on streaming movies in the horror, thriller and supernatural genres. “Nocebo” centers on a fashion designer (Green), who suffers from a mysterious illness that confounds her doctors and frustrates her husband (Strong). Help arrives in the form of a Filipino nanny (Chai Fonacier) who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth. 

Anna Marie de la Fuente Seattle-based MindRiot Entertainment is teaming up with Panama’s Hypatia Films, an associate producer of Claire Denis’ Cannes Grand Prix winner “Stars at Noon,” on the groundbreaking documentary, “In Search of Atlantis,” based on the findings of Seattle native Dr. Jason Rubin who has used deductive reasoning, the writings of philosopher Plato and the most advanced satellite sonar imagery to pinpoint the location of the fabled lost island of Atlantis.  According to MindRiot co-founder and chief creative officer Jonathan Keasey, Dr. Rubin passed on other Hollywood suitors as he liked MindRiot’s approach to the content and the fact that it had marshalled the support of multiple universities, including deep sea explorer Don Walsh, the honorary president of the Explorers Club, and even European authorities, given the maritime jurisdiction of Rubin’s site in the Atlantic Ocean.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Barcelona-based Film Factory Entertainment has picked up world sales rights to “El Otro Hijo,” the feature debut of Colombia’s Juan Sebastián Quebrada. The Evidencia Films production adds to the growing list of Colombian pickups by Film Factory, including last year’s sweeping Premios Platino winner, “Memories of My Father” (“El Olvido que Seremos”) by Fernando Trueba. and Laura Mora’s “Kings of the World,”which competes at the upcoming San Sebastian Film Festival and is part of Toronto’s Industry Select section. “Film Factory is excited to be on board; Colombian cinema is very strong and we are eager to discover new talents from the country. We believe we found one in Juan Sebastián Quebrada,” Film Factory’s Vicente Canales told Variety.

Trinidad Barleycorn Founded more than 25 years ago by Manuel Catteau, independent French producer and distributor ZED has become over the years a major player in the documentary field. At TV market Unifrance Rendez-vous in Biarritz, ZED revealed to Variety the acquisition of three ambitious history documentary projects, which are available for presales. “Ukraine 1933: Seeds of Hunger,” a documentary by Guillaume Ribot, produced by Les Films Du Poisson for France Télévisions, recalls the tragedy experienced by Ukrainians between 1931 and 1933: the Holodomor, the great famine organized by Stalin to punish those who refused the collectivization of the countryside and communist ideology, resulted in the deaths of more than 4 million of them.

Manori Ravindran International Editor IFC Films has acquired the U.S. rights to “Operation Avalanche” director Matt Johnson’s new movie, “BlackBerry,” about the ill-fated smartphone that took the world by storm in the early 2000s. The highly anticipated film, which was first revealed by Variety last month, tells the story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the BlackBerry, and stars an ensemble cast including Jay Baruchel (“This Is the End”), Glenn Howerton (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Cary Elwes (“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning”). The pic will detail the operations of BlackBerry’s Canadian parent company Research in Motion, which was one of the country’s most illustrious and well-known tech companies before it floundered in legal disputes and eventually lost its market advantage to competitors such as Apple and Samsung. At the heart of the story is the business relationship between co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Participant Media has promoted three executives to senior vice president. Elizabeth Haggard has been elevated to senior VP of narrative film; Nicole Starr has been appointed to the newly created position of senior VP of content representation and impact; and Rob Williams has been named senior VP of global sales. Haggard will continue to report to executive VPs of narrative film Anikah McLaren and Robert Kessel. As senior VP of narrative film, she will have greater oversight of the day-to-day development and production of the company’s film slate. Starr will report to CEO David Linde. In her newly formed role, Starr will engage throughout the content development process for Participant’s narrative, documentary and episodic content.

Michaela Zee editor “Fed Up” director Stephanie Soechtig has teamed up with Part2 Pictures, in association with Atlas Films, to direct the Netflix documentary “Get Smart With Money. The personal finance documentary follows several individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds as they examine their spending habits and, with the help of four financial coaches, figure out their financial goals and ways to improve their money mindset. The four coaches include Peter Adeney (aka Mr. Money Mustache), Tiffany Aliche (aka The Budgetnista), Ross MacDonald (aka Ro$$ Mac) and Paula Pant of Afford Anything. In a statement, Soechtig said: ”Somehow we have ended up with an education system that teaches us the fundamentals of square dancing, yet fails to teach us the fundamentals about how to manage our money. As a result, most of us are left bewildered when it comes to budgeting or investing – I know I was! While we are calling this a ‘money documentary’ it really is a happiness documentary. The personal finance concepts our coaches taught us – paying down debt, investing in your future, buying more time with your family – are the keys to a happier, more fulfilling life. I’m so excited to share all the practical tips that we learned on our journey of making this film. They have truly changed my life and I’m hopeful it will do the same for so many others!”

Brent Lang Executive Editor Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman will star in “Sympathy for the Devil,” a new psychological thriller from director Yuval Adler. Production on the film is underway in Las Vegas. Capstone Global is handling worldwide sales on the film, and will introduce it to buyers during the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.   Written by Luke Paradise (“Lost on a Mountain in Maine”), “Sympathy for the Devil” follows “The Driver” (Kinnaman) as he finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after being forced to drive a mysterious man known as “The Passenger” (Cage). That sets things up for a white-knuckle ride. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Films Pelleas, the Paris-based banner behind Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” (pictured), is set to produce Guillaume Senez (“Our Struggles”)’s next project, as well as the feature debut of Anne-Sophie Bailly whose short “The Midwife” is currently playing at Telluride. The Paris-based banner’s roster of completed roster includes Karim Moussaoui’s “L’Effacement,” and Annie Ernaux’s documentary “Les annes Super-8.” “Mona” revolves around around a woman in her 60’s who raised alone her disabled son and is at a point in her life where she aspires to start caring for herself. But when her son is unexpectedly having a baby, Mona finds herself with another heavy responsibility to bear.

Naman Ramachandran Fresh off a standing ovation for auteur Lav Diaz’s “When the Waves Are Gone” at the Venice Film Festival, the Philippines’ Epicmedia Productions has revealed a global co-production slate. Next up is Swiss co-production “Electric Child” by Simon Jacquemet (“The Innocent”), which was presented at the Venice Production Bridge last year. The story revolves around a couple whose child develops an unusual illness. While the mother and baby drift into their own world, the computer-science professor father develops a pact with an A.I. character on a virtual island to save his child. The project, which is starting production imminently, is supported by the Film Location Incentive Fund of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Zurich Film Foundation, Filmstiftung NRW and TV channels SRF and ARTE.

Protagonist Pictures has closed a French distribution deal with Les Films du Losange on Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s Cannes Camera d’Or winning directorial debut War Pony.

Janus Films has acquired North American rights for Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason’s priest drama Godland, which debuted in Cannes Un Certain Regard and now heads to Telluride and Toronto this fall.

K.J. Yossman SRAB Films, producer of Ladj Ly’s 2019 Cannes effort “Les Misérables,” which was picked up by Amazon Studios, has been acquired by Asacha Media Group (AMG), according to reports.

Jessica Barden has set her latest project in the shape of the sports drama An Unsuitable Game from the BAFTA-award-winning filmmaker Mandie Fletcher (Absolutely Fabulous), which will launch sales next month at TIFF.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media DDA is making a series of key hires and promotions. Ryan Langrehr recently joined the entertainment communications company as U.S. head of awards, based out of Los Angeles. He joins from Block-Korenbrot Public Relations and will work alongside DDA partner Dana Archer and awards strategist MJ Peckos, who formed an exclusive partnership with DDA in 2021 and collaborated on a slate of films in the international and documentary category. These included Spain’s “The Good Boss” and Germany’s “I’m Your Man,” both of which were shortlisted for international feature Oscars.  The DDA L.A. awards offering is a complement to the company’s existing U.K. awards business, which it says will offer studios and filmmakers a “cohesive strategy across both sides of the Atlantic.” The U.K. offering is led by Sam Ross in his newly upped role of director of awards, and his team works closely with DDA partner Neil Bhatt. In recent years, the DDA U.K. awards team has handled AMPAS and BAFTA campaigns and delivered successful campaigns for features, documentaries, animated movies and shorts. Sam has been instrumental in successful campaigns across Academy Award and BAFTA-winning films including NEON’s “Parasite” and BFI’s “After Love.” Additionally, the 2022 BAFTAs also saw nominations for “Happening,” “The Hand of God” and “A Quiet Place: Part II.” Their 2021 haul included BAFTA nominations for “Babyteeth,” “Dear Comrades,” “Mogul Mowgli,” “County Lines” and “The Present.”  

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media Utopia has purchased global rights to “American Rapstar,” a look at the rise of SoundCloud rappers. The film, which screened at such major festivals as SXSW, DOC NYC, and the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, pulls back the curtain on a group lo-fi young artists, who boast a rebellious punk energy along with their colorful facial tattoos and penchant for prescription drug use. It’s a rising generation of talent such as Smokepurpp, Lil Xan, XXXTentacion, Lil Peep and Bhad Bhabie, all of whom have disrupted the music industry and used new technologies to grow their audience. “American Rapstar” will begin streaming on Sept. 1, 2022 on Hulu. Utopia will present a global virtual screening via Altavod.com on Oct. 4, 2022 with exclusive bonus content available only on that day, before releasing the film on-demand on all platforms Oct. 11, 2022.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media Projected Picture Works, the production company founded by Sean Penn last year, has signed on to produce “Killers & Diplomats.” The political thriller tells the true story of four American missionary women who raped and murdered in El Salvador in 1980. It follows a young U.S. diplomat who cracked the case by cultivating an improbable source — risking everything to gather the key evidence. The film is based on an article by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Raymond Bonner. “Killers & Diplomats” is from writers Michael Nourse and John Tyler McClain, whose screenplay was featured on the 2021 Annual Black List. It was developed by producers Jordan Foley and Jonathan Rosenthal of Mill House Motion Pictures. Projected Picture Works partners John Ira Palmer and John Wildermuth are producing with Penn, Foley and Rosenthal. Ray Bonner will executive produce with Yeardley Smith and Ben Cornwell of Paperclip Ltd.