This year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival is shaping up to be a memorable one for women directors. In the past day alone Gillian Robespierre’s “Landline,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” Marti Noxon’s “To the Bone,” and Kirsten Tan’s “Pop Aye” have all found distribution.
Variety reports that Amazon Studios has acquired U.S. rights to Robespierre’s “Landline,” a ‘90s-set dramedy about a “dysfunctional Manhattan family.” Insiders estimate that Amazon bought the rights in a “mid-seven figures” deal, the source writes.
“Landline” will be released theatrically.
Starring Jenny Slate (reuniting with her “Obvious Child” director), Edie Falco, John Turturro, Jay Duplass, and Abby Quinn, the film centers on sisters Slate and Quinn as they discover their father’s affair and realize there is more than one cheater in the family.
In an interview with Women and Hollywood, Robespierre said “Landline” is about “a family grow[ing] closer,” more than anything else. “The truth is we all fuck up. We all lie. And we watch our parents do something we say we’re never going to do and then we do it. We resent our partners for doing something that we then can’t help but do ourselves. And [co-writer Elisabeth Holm] and I like to tell these stories that inspire empathy, to show humans who, regardless of age or gender, make mistakes and try and try again.”
Variety also writes that Fox Searchlight has obtained the “worldwide distribution and remake rights” to “Step,” a documentary from Amanda Lipitz.
The doc is about “the senior year of a girls’ high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore,” the source details. “Each student is trying to become the first in their families to attend college and striving to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in the troubled city.”
“Step,” which will be released later in 2017, features Blessin Giraldo, Cori Grainger, Tayla Solomon, Gari McIntyre, and Paula Dofat as its subjects. The documentary’s production was supported in part by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Baltimore Ravens.
“This film was made as a tribute to the bravery and conviction of the young women in the film and to the courage they demonstrated in their willingness to share their story,” Lipitz said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Fox Searchlight on the release of the film throughout the world and are very grateful for their enthusiasm and passion. We hope that the heroes of ‘Step’ will inspire girls everywhere.”
Meanwhile, Netflix is looking to buy the world rights to Marti Noxon’s “To the Bone” for an impressive $8 million, according to Deadline. “To the Bone” is about Ellen’s (Lily Collins) “last-ditch effort to battle her severe anorexia” — which includes going into a group recovery home and working with an “unconventional” doctor (Keanu Reeves). The film also stars Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp, and Liana Liberato.
“To the Bone” is a semi-autobiographical film about Noxon’s own battles with eating disorders. The “UnREAL” co-creator struggled with anorexia and bulimia from the ages 13 to 25, she told us in an interview.
Discussing viewers’ potential reactions to the film, Noxon said, “I hope [the audience] will have a better understanding that women and men who have eating disorders have a disease that is real. That it’s not an issue of vanity. And I hope they will look more closely about their own self-critical voices and think about being kinder to themselves.”
Finally, Kino Lorber has acquired all North American rights to Kirsten Tan’s debut feature, “Pop Aye,” the company announced in a press release. Kino Lorber plans to bring the film to North American theaters this summer, followed by a VOD and physical media release.
According to the film’s official synopsis, “Pop Aye” tells the story of Thana, “a once-illustrious architect,” as he “drifts ever further into existential crisis, propelled by the impending demolition of his proudest work and his wife’s waning romantic interest. Unexpectedly running into his long-lost childhood ‘pet’ elephant Popeye, performing in the streets of Bangkok, spurs Thana on a quest across Thailand to return his displaced friend to rural Loei, the small village where they grew up.”
This deal sounds like a dream come true for Tan, who told Women and Hollywood in an interview, “To have my film recognized at Sundance is a validation that certain life choices I’ve made along the way weren’t completely naïve and foolish.” She explained, “I can’t envision the full totality of what it means, but I hope it will make for exciting days ahead — I want to keep on telling stories and making moving images, be it in features, commercials, or shorts.”
Sundance will continue until this Sunday, January 29, so there’s a good chance more deals will be made in the coming days.
