Every studio continues to look for the next Manchester By The Sea, while hoping they don’t instead end up with the next The Birth Of A Nation, as Sundance rolls on.
Netflix continues to make waves as they’ve acquired the closing film of the festival before it has even screened. The Incredible Jessica James – not to be confused with superhero, Jessica Jones – has been snapped up by the streaming giant for their customers in 190 countries.
The film is directed by Jim Strouse and stars The Daily Show‘s Jessica Williams as “a young, aspiring playwright in New York City who is struggling to get over a recent breakup. She is forced to go on a date with the recently divorced Boone, played by Chris O’Dowd, and the unlikely duo discover how to make it through the tough times in a social media obsessed post-relationship universe”.
The film also stars Lakeith Stanfield and Noël Wells. Not to be outshined, Amazon studios have bought the rights to Landline, a comedy starring Jenny Slate. “The film follows two sisters, magazine layout artist Dana (Slate) and high school club kid Ali (Abby Quinn, in a breakout performance), who act out in various — and hilarious — ways in pre-cell phone New York”.
The film also stars Edie Falco, John Turturro, Finn Wittrock and Jay Duplass and is directed by Gillian Robespierre, who directed Slate in Obvious Child. The film will be theatrically released before landing on Amazon Prime.
Audience Award frontrunner, Step, has been acquired by Fox Searchlight. Amanda Lipitz‘s documentary follows follows a girls’ senior-year high school step team in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland, as they strive to become the first in their families to go to college. Fox has also acquired the rights from Lipitz for a remake.
Fox Searchlight Presidents, Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula, said in a statement: “Step immerses us into the world of a group of young women whom we come to love and admire. Lipitz shows us their humour, heart, tenacity and joie de vivre through our own laughter and tears. We are excited to share this inspiring experience around the world”.
And finally, Kino Lorber has snapped up Pop Aye, an elephant dramedy that premiered in the festival’s world dramatic section on opening night. It is the debut feature from Singaporean director, Kirsten Tan, and follows the story of a formerly revered architect struggling with the impending demolition of his life’s work.
“Pop Aye is poetically profound, but the elephant in the room is really its warm heart” said Kino Lorber CEO, Richard Lorber, in a statement. The studio plans to release the film theatrically in North America this summer, before a Physical and VOD release later in the year.
Check back for more deals as the festival heads towards the final weekend.
#Peace.Love.Sundance
