Cannes Update: Amma Asante’s Amandla Stenberg-Starrer “Where Hands Touch” Acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide
Amandla Stenberg is one step closer to breaking audience’s hearts yet again. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has scored a multi-territory deal for Amma Asante’s latest feature, a romantic drama toplined by the “Everything, Everything” and “Hunger Games” star. Variety reports Sony secured most of the international rights to “Where Hands Touch,” excluding select European territories and Australia. The film — which hasn’t found a U.S. home quite yet — is being sold by Protagonist Pictures at Cannes.
Set in 1944 Germany, the coming-of-age story centers on 15-year-old Leyna (Stenberg), the daughter of a white German mother and a black father. She “lives in fear due to the color of her skin. When she meets Lutz (George MacKay, ‘11.22.63’ ), the son of a prominent SS officer, the two fall helplessly in love, putting both their lives at risk,” Variety summarizes. Abbie Cornish (“Bright Star”) co-stars. Asante penned the script.
“Amma Asante is a skillful storyteller whose films reach a wide audience,” said Protagonist Pictures CEO Mike Goodridge. “We couldn’t be happier that our friends at SPWA have embraced her bold vision of a young biracial girl struggling to survive in Nazi Germany.”
Stenberg can be see in Stella Meghie’s “Everything, Everything,” in theaters now. The tearjerker sees her playing an 18-year-old who has never been outside — she’s allergic to everything and can’t leave the house without becoming severely ill. A burgeoning romance with the boy next door encourages her to venture out into the world. The film is outperforming expectations at the box office.
Asante most recently directed “A United Kingdom,” which hit theaters earlier this year. The well-reviewed interracial romance is based on the true story of King Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a white woman from London. The British filmmaker’s other credits include 2013’s “Belle” and 2004’s “A Way of Life.”
